Mid-day meals: Govt to transfer cooking expenses directly into accounts of over 8L students

Srinagar, May 14: Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to transfer Rs 14.47 crore into the bank accounts of 8.29 lack government school kids as a part of the cooking expenses of the mid-meal scheme.

In March, the government had ordered home delivery of two-month dry ration (rice) under the mid-day meal scheme to the eligible school students through the Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA). The cooking expense was to be transferred into their accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

“Rs 14.47 crore released today as Cooking Cost /Food Security Allowance to kids for one month to CEOs; DSEK/J to ensure that CEOs  DBT/ credit it into bank accounts of 8.29 lac Govt school kids who received dry rations at home during covid19 lockdown,” tweeted Principal Secretary School Education Department, Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon.

An official at the School Education Department said that they have collected the bank account details from the candidates. “It will take a few more days to transfer money into the accounts,” he said.

Zareena Bano, whose child studies at Government Primary School, Khanyar said she was not aware of any money transfer.  “We have received a few kgs of dry ration for my child but I have no idea about cooking charges. No one has told us about these benefits,” she said

Mid-Day meal scheme is aimed to improve the nutritional status of the children from class 1st to 8th besides encouraging poor children to attend schools regularly. 

Under the scheme, every student enrolled in the primary class is provided with 100 grams of food grains per day, while 150 grams are provided to every student of the upper primary.

The scheme has a provision to spend Rs 4.48 per day per primary level student as cooking expenses, and Rs 6.71 per day per student of the upper primary level.