CENTRALIZED KITCHEN IN NAWANSHAHR FROM SEPT 8
Jalandhar September 4:
The first centralized kitchen for mid-day meal scheme in the elementary schools of Punjab would start functioning from Nawanshahr district on September 8. The first leg of the programme would include three districts and Ferozepur and Tarn Taran would also be part of this pilot project.
This comes in the backdrop on numerous instances of poor-quality food being served to children under the scheme. Several lapses and management problems have been reported in its implementation, with even teachers claiming that it was leading to wastage of their time. As a solution, the education department came up with the idea of centralized kitchens. To be run by NGOs, these would apparently lead to better execution of the scheme and bring about greater transparency and accountability.
Director General school education Krishan Kumar said, ‘‘As the centralized kitchen will start functioning from September 8 in Nawanshahr, we are also increasing their number in these districts as compared to those originally planned. We want to keep the programme hassle-free and after implementing it in three districts, the model will be replicated in others.’’
It is expected that a constant check on the quality of cereals and pulses would be possible at specific spots, unlike earlier when each school had its own store. Two NGOs — Istri Shakti and Indcare — have been engaged for the purpose. While Istri Shakti would look after the scheme in Nawanshahr and Ferozepur, Indcare would handle the scheme in Tarn Taran.
Jalandhar September 4:
The first centralized kitchen for mid-day meal scheme in the elementary schools of Punjab would start functioning from Nawanshahr district on September 8. The first leg of the programme would include three districts and Ferozepur and Tarn Taran would also be part of this pilot project.
This comes in the backdrop on numerous instances of poor-quality food being served to children under the scheme. Several lapses and management problems have been reported in its implementation, with even teachers claiming that it was leading to wastage of their time. As a solution, the education department came up with the idea of centralized kitchens. To be run by NGOs, these would apparently lead to better execution of the scheme and bring about greater transparency and accountability.
Director General school education Krishan Kumar said, ‘‘As the centralized kitchen will start functioning from September 8 in Nawanshahr, we are also increasing their number in these districts as compared to those originally planned. We want to keep the programme hassle-free and after implementing it in three districts, the model will be replicated in others.’’
It is expected that a constant check on the quality of cereals and pulses would be possible at specific spots, unlike earlier when each school had its own store. Two NGOs — Istri Shakti and Indcare — have been engaged for the purpose. While Istri Shakti would look after the scheme in Nawanshahr and Ferozepur, Indcare would handle the scheme in Tarn Taran.
