BHUBANESWAR: The implementation of the mid-day meal scheme (MDM) in primary and upper primary schools was on Tuesday formally handed over to the School and Mass Education Department. The Women and Child Development (W&CD) Department will have no role to play in its implementation. This was decided at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here. However, special nutrition programme (SNP) through the anganwadi centres will continue to be implemented by the W&CD Department. All preparations by the School and Mass Education Department for the implementation of the MDM programme will be completed by June 17 when schools reopen. It was decided that in schools, where the programme is being implemented by self-help group (SHG), joint accounts will be opened in the name of the headmaster and the SHG. In schools where the MDM is implemented by the school managing committee, the joint account will be in the name of the headmaster and the committee. The State Government had decentralised procurement of pulses and other food items for the MDM from April 1 after large-scale irregularities were detected. The Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure that sub-standard food is not served to the students under the scheme. Monitoring mechanism should be in place in every school to ensure quality of food, he said. A director rank official will be posted to oversee the implementation of the scheme while a special officer will be posted to ensure quality of food. The menu of the MDM has already been changed to make it more nutritious. Eggs will be provided twice a week - on Wednesday and Saturday - instead of one day earlier. Soybean curry will provided on two days while dalma, a preparation of dal with vegetables, will be given on two days - Monday and Thursday. Minister of State for School and Mass Education Pratap Jena, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Secretary in the School and Mass Education Department Aparajita Sarangi and senior officials were present.
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