Central team to visit Bengal to check on implementation of PM POSHAN scheme

Kolkata: After Awas Yojana, the central team will visit West Bengal to take stock of the mid- day meals provided to students.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that a team will be sent from the educational department in Bengal this month to review the implementation of centrally sponsored scheme PM POSHAN and probe allegations of irregularities in the scheme in Bengal.

Pradhan also stated that Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on January 5 had written a letter to the Education ministry complaining about ‘poor’ mid-day meals for the students.

“Adhikari had written a letter about incidents of poor midday meals given to students in school. The central team this month only will visit Bengal and take stock of the situation,” mentioned Pradhan.

Mid-day meal complaints

Union Minister of States for Education Subhas Sarkar said that there were several complaints about mid-day meals being sent to the union ministry.

“In several states we have seen the state government adds to the fund sent by the Central government to provide good quality mid day meals to students but in Bengal not just poor quality but less quantity is also given to the students,” mentioned Sarkar.

According to sources, the central team along with state government officials and nutritionists together will take part in the survey.

It may be noted that the saffron camp have always raised complaints against irregularities in mid-day meals in Bengal. A couple of days back ruckus erupted in a school in Malda after dead rats and lizards were found in the midday meal for the students.

Taking to Twitter, the Leader of Opposition said, “I welcome @EduMinOfIndia's decision to constitute a Joint Review Mission to review the implementation of the Central Sponsored Scheme; Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) in WB. WB Govt's been using this scheme as a propaganda tool all along. It's time they're exposed.”

It is pertinent to mention that the state government a few days back had included chicken and a seasonal fruit in the midday meal for the students till April.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the central teams are ‘migratory birds’ and also that in several schemes Bengal tops the list in the country.