The poisoned plate
Friday 9 August 2013
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The Mid Day Meal Scheme is
perhaps one of the most significant welfare programme covering about 10.54 crore
children in India. The scheme has several vital objectives like providing
specified levels of calories and protein to pre-primary and primary school
students, providing employment opportunities to women et cetera. Not only does
the programme involve the entire community but it also integrates children from
different communities by dismantling caste barriers and ensuring that they have
a meal together. The programme has been successful in increasing enrolments in
schools and decreasing dropouts from school. But the recent shocking incident
that led to the death of at least 22 children belonging to the age group of
8-12 years in Saran district of Bihar after being fed contaminated food is a
grim reminder of the fact that the world’s largest intervention against hunger
still remains a deplorable tale of bureaucratic apathy, negligence, utter
disregard for child rights and a failure of proper implementation.
Such a massive scheme cannot run
without strong commitment of implementation officials and bureaucracy. But the
failure of the authorities to ensure hygienic cooking conditions and
nutritional standards is a telling commentary on their commitment to universal
primary education. What could have been more horrifying for the innocent
children for whom their temple of education turned into their graveyard? What
could have been more terrorising for the parents of these children who remained
mute spectators to the torment of their children and see them die before their
own eyes? What could have been more heart-rending for an Indian citizen to
lament the loss of future citizens who had been fed poison disguised as food to
satiate their appetite?
It is a matter of great concern
that such man-made tragedies and lackadaisical approach of the concerned
authorities can shake the faith of citizens in such a crucial welfare
programme. Lack of adequate infrastructure for supply-cum-storage, dearth of
skilled manpower, inefficient administration of nutritional standards of the
food grains served and absence of hygienic culinary conditions point to a
colossal failure on the part of the government. The teachers are laden with
several responsibilities besides teaching like collection of fees, distribution
of books and uniforms, election duties, conducting remedial classes after school
hours – all for the same pay. No doubt this leads to callousness and a feeling
of indifference towards work.
To strengthen the Mid Day Meal
Scheme, the tax collection stood at Rs. 27,461 crores during 2011-12 which was
distributed proportionally among different states. However, these funds seldom
reach the intended beneficiaries which results in the purchase of sub-standard
food grains from the open market and subsequent deterioration of nutritional
standards. Unsurprisingly, children are served with dead lizards, rats and
snakes being found where the food is cooked.
The need of the hour is to make
the public system more accountable by strengthening commitment among
policymakers and the bureaucracy. Politicisation of such sensitive issues
should be a big NO. Tools like social audit should be employed for public
vigilance and for generating among the masses. NGOs can be assigned greater
role in scrutinising the quality of food and hygiene so that a better
stakeholder approach is adopted. There is an urgent need to crack the whip on
corrupt officials who jeopardise the lives of innocent children for their own
monetary considerations. Infrastructure should be upgraded in schools and a
platform should be provided to facilitate parent-teacher interaction.
Let us not desecrate an
institution that produces workforce for the future.
Categories:
common man,
crime,
development,
dream,
education,
India,
mid-day meal,
money
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