New Delhi: The Centre has no plans to extend the mid-day meal to school children beyond class VIII, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal disclosed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
He was replying to a question by Chhaya Verma, Vishambhar Prasad Nishad and Sukhram Singh Yadav on the media reports that the mid-day meal scheme will be extended to children up to class XII.
The minister, however, said the state governments can extend the scheme beyond class VII also as already done by Telangana up to Classes IX-X, Karnataka in some schools, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep providing mid-day meals to children of classes up to XII from their own resources.
One mid-day meal is provided free of charge to children up to Class VIII or within the age group of 6-14 years in all schools of local bodies, government and government-aided schools to meet the nutritional standards specified in the National Food Security Act, 2013, the minister added.
