TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: While 2000 students in Canacona taluka have been left without mid-day meals for over a month after the government suspended the contract of Omkar Mahila Mandal (OMM), an additional 2000 students in the taluka could well be deprived of these meals from Thursday onwards.
This is because the government has prohibited the mid-day meal suppliers from sub-contracting the meals to a third party. This condition will affect over half of the students supplied with mid-day meals in Canacona taluka, as the meals were reportedly met by sub-contracting the scheme to lesser-known self-help groups located near the schools.
According to sources, the education department has extended the contract of only two mid-day meal suppliers in Canacona, each reportedly known to provide meals to over 2,000 students.
Sources said both suppliers have received consent letters two days ago mentioning about the strict ban on sub-letting the contract to any third party.
Significantly, the rates have not been revised and the mid-day meal suppliers will have to supply meals at the prevalent rates of Rs 5.08 per primary student and Rs 6.18 per secondary student.
The Astha Self-Help Group and Saurabhi Self-Help group are engaged to supply mid-day meals to about 2000 students each. The OMM was earlier supplying meals to an additional 2000 students before it was suspended by the government following a food-poisoning incident at a school in the last week of June.
“We informed the education department, besides FDA and others concerned, that due to a paucity of resources, we have been forced to sub-let the mid-day meals supply to other self-help groups and we want to continue in the same manner,” said a source speaking on confidentiality for one of the two self-help groups.“
But the authorities have refused to accept our pleas and we have been left with no option. Almost all students who used to get mid-day meals from the sub-contactor will not get the meals from Thursday,” the source added.
