TEAM HERALD
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PONDA: The Education Department is in the process of collecting data to ascertain the amount of quota of mid-day meal scheme lying uncollected in the Civil Supplies godown at Ponda since the last three months.
Deputy Director of Education Department Anil Powar, who is also in-charge of mid-day scheme, said some Self-Help Groups (SHG) were in possession of extra quota, due to which some were not given release orders.
“The department is collecting data to know the quantity of uncollected rice and wheat of the mid-day meal scheme at the godown of Civil Supplies, Ponda. Since some SHGs were in possession of the quota, which could have been sufficient for another for one more month, the release orders were not issued,” informed Powar.
According to sources, six SHGs did not collect the quota under the mid-day meal scheme since November and three others since October.
A SHG told Herald that they got the release order from the Education Department to lift the quota for October only in the last week of December.
It may be recalled that the distribution of quota was affected after Ponda Police busted black-marketing of rice racket on November 2. The SHGs were under the scanner after it was reported that the rice from mid-day meal scheme was diverted into the black market.
However, Powar has refuted allegations that claimed the rice from the mid-day meal scheme was diverted to the black market.
