Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government has decided to continue with the existing 106 self help groups to provide midday meals to students for the new academic year.
“We have decided to continue with the existing 106 self help groups to provide midday meals to students in the State during the new academic year starting from June 4. No decision has yet been taken on Akshay Patra agency about handing over the contract of serving midday meals,” Education Director G P Bhat said.
The State had earlier decided that over 6,500 students at the Cujira school complex would receive midday meals cooked by Akshaya Patra, a non-profit wing of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, from the academic year 2018-19. However, no final decision was taken.
Akshaya Patra Foundation runs midday meal programmes across the country. There had been talks about handing over the contract of serving midday meals to Akshay Patra agency following several complaints about the quality of food served by self help groups. Meanwhile, the State has also approved and issued orders asking 134 para-teachers to join duty from June 4. The para-teachers had protested last year as they were taken on duty from September in the last academic year.
