The Telangana High Court (HC) has issued a directive to ensure nutritious food is provided under the mid-day meal scheme in government schools, following recent incidents of spoiled meals.
A Division Bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Srinivas Rao is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the scheme's implementation.
During the session, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Mohammad Imran Khan informed the court that the government had identified five incidents of spoiled meals, including three mentioned by the petitioner. He assured the court that action had been taken against those responsible in each case.
The AAG further explained that committees led by district collectors of Narayanpet and Karimnagar have been constituted to investigate the incidents at Maganur and Burugupalli government schools, where mid-day meals were reportedly spoiled last month. Samples have been collected and sent to laboratories for analysis.
The petitioner's lawyer, Chikkudu Prabhakar, argued that there are serious lapses in implementing the mid-day meal scheme. He pointed out the lack of proper monitoring at the village, mandal, district, and state levels, as mandated by central guidelines.
Additionally, he highlighted complaints about inadequate food quality, including the non-provision of eggs in meals.
Addressing these concerns, the AAG stated that the government is taking corrective measures.
He emphasised that the scheme covers over 18 lakh students in 25,941 government schools, and only 75 students fell ill after consuming the meals, which he claimed is a relatively small percentage.
To further strengthen the system, the government has increased the fees of agencies providing mid-day meals by 40 per cent and formed two additional committees to examine recent lapses.
The court has directed the AAG to submit a comprehensive report within six weeks and stressed the need for strict monitoring to prevent such incidents.
The hearing has been adjourned for six weeks.
