RS 3.25 PS SPENT ON A CHILD UNDER MID DAY MEAL IN SIKKIM

Namchi :, 6 December

In Sikkim Rs 3.25 ps is spent on a child while hundred grams food per day per child is provided by the Mid Day Meal Scheme. Addressing the technical session on the 4th Day of PIC at Namchi, Shri M K Rai, Deputy Director HRDD said schools are provided with food grains according to the enrollment. The State Government is providing help from the exchequer to implement the programme. Mid Day Meal has been given by the centre so as to provide nutritious food to children and help to retain children in school. The cooking bills will be reimbursed only after it is certified by the Panchayats beside the headmaster and should be given to the department by the 10th of the month. The scheme has been implemented 215 regular schools, 21 education guarantee centres and 20 monastic schools in South districts. Shri Rai called on the mother teacher associations and school management committees to play an active role to see that the meals are nutritious and properly cooked. Sarva Shiksha Abiyan (SSA) aims to provide quality education that is relevant and useful. Addressing the session, Shri D B Subba, Asstt Director, HRDD said under SSA 7 schools have been taken over where people had started out of their own interest and 8 upgraded to the high school level. According to the record, about 62% children have been covered under SSA but there is a problem of dropouts in the 11-14 age group. Shri Subba called for community monitoring and involvement in running the schools properly. He urged the school management committee in playing an active role in running for implementing the SSA. (PIB)