Mumbai: Pulses, cereals mandatory in midday meals now

In an effort to enhance the nutrition programme address monotony and improve dietary variety for students the state government has mandated the inclusion of pulses and cereals in school meals While the initiative introduces 15 diverse recipes including soya bean pulao ragi dishes and sprouted grains schools are facing challenges in sourcing additional ingredients due to limited funding provisionsOfficials from the state school education department stated that the updated menu aims to enhance both the nutritional quality and appeal of meals with local vegetables grown in school gardens to be used However school administrations are expressing concerns that the recent government order only mentions provisions to cover the increased costs of milk powder and jaggery sugar This leaves schools wondering where to source grains pulses and vegetablesThe National Programme of Midday Meal in Schoolsmdashunder which hot meals are provided to children in government and governmentaided schoolsmdashwas renamed PM Poshan or Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana PMPSNY on September 29 2021 The scheme aims at providing hot and nutritious food to students from Std 1 to VIIIThe Centre and states share all expenditures under the Midday Meal MDM scheme in a ratio of 6040 While rice is provided at reasonable rates by the central government many schools lack the funds to cover additional expenses resulting in students being served only moong dal khichdiEgg controversyDespite the state governmentrsquos mission to provide balanced meals to school students under the PMPSNY it has encountered significant opposition and hurdles In November 2023 the state government decided to serve nutritionpacked food to around two crore students studying in governmentrun schools The menu was set to include egg pulao biryani sweets vegetables and fruits marking the first time in 20 years that eggs would be reintroduced to the MDM menu Students following a vegetarian diet were to be served bananas or local seasonal fruit insteadHowever on January 5 a presentation was given to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar by the trustees and members of Shree Mumbai Jain Sangh Sangathan SMJSS Following this changes were made to the state governments previous notification regarding the introduction of eggs in midday meals An amended notification issued on January 24 stipulated that eggs would not be included in the midday meal if 40 per cent of parents or students at a school did not consent to consuming them It also specified that schools receiving meals from Akshaya Patra and Annamrita Foundation charities affiliated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness ISKCON which provide food at nominal rates would be exempt from serving eggsThe issue sparked a debate among various groups with midday reporting on the matter in its February 8 2024 edition and again on March 5In response the state government promised and assured all stakeholders that a proteinrich and balanced diet would be provided under the MDM programmeNew recipesAiming to enhance the variety and nutritional value of midday meals the state school education department has proposed 15 different dishes complete with recipes to ensure students receive a balanced dietA committee of health nutrition and education experts recommended these recipes to improve student nutrition by incorporating local grains and cereals The plan also assumes that vegetables will be grown in school backyards The recommended dishes include vegetable pulao masala bhaat pea pulao moong dal khichdi chawli khichdi chickpeas chana pulao soya bean pulao lentil pulao egg pulao matki usal sweet khichdi sheera moong and drumsticks shevgaa varanbhaat rice kheer rice pudding ragi nachni malt and sprouts Additionally it is advised to include sprouted pulses dailyHurdles persistldquoWithout additional financial provisions these instructions risk remaining unimplemented Without proper funding schools will either make substandard arrangements or fail to implement the plan due to a lack of fundsrdquo said the principal of a Mumbai schoolAn official from the school education department stated ldquoThe Director of Education has been instructed to allocate funds for two days each month to purchase ingredients for sweet khichdi nachniragi malt milk powder jaggerysugar and soya beans Efforts will also be made to source nachniragi malt from the Food Corporation of India It has been clarified that any additional required funds will be provided by the governmentrdquoHowever a teacher expressed frustration with the funding situation ldquoThey say this but on the ground additional funds are either denied directly or delayedrdquo said a senior teacher in charge of the MDM programme at a school in South MumbaildquoThe recommendation of 15 dishes along with recipes for school nutrition programmes is a positive steprdquo said Mahendra Ganpule the state spokesperson of the Maharashtra School Principals Association ldquoThe governmentrsquos expectation that students receive a healthy diet is commendable However for the scheme to be effective it must be backed by sufficient financial provisions and a competent system Only then will this plan truly benefit the students and ensure the successful implementation of the MDM scheme If the state government does not provide funds the implementation will be substandardrdquoGanpule addedJanuary 24Day amended notification was issued