SC: Mid-day meals must from Jan 146;05

In an order that could attract more children to schools, the Supreme Court has fixed January 2005 as the deadline for all states to provide ...

In an order that could attract more children to schools, the Supreme Court has fixed January 2005 as the deadline for all states to provide cooked meals to students upto Class V as the Centre decided to provide an additional Re 1 per child to meet cooking costs. 8216;8216;We direct that every child eligible for cooked meal under mid-day meal scheme in all states and Union Territories, shall be provided with the meal immediately and, in any case, not later than the month of January 2005,8221; a Bench of Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice S.H. Kapadia ordered recently.

The court dealing with a PIL filed by People8217;s Union for Civil Liberties PUCL made it clear that 8216;8216;it would not be open to the state governments or the Union Territories to delay the implementation of the scheme beyond January 2005 on the ground that the necessary assistance has not been released by the Central Government.8221; The Apex court noted with concern the poor implementation of the mid-day meal scheme in many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on the ground of increasing cooking cost of the mid-day meal.

It said the scheme should be implemented 8216;8216;forthwith8221; and cooking costs claimed from the Centre later. The bench asked the chief secretaries of the concerned governments to file affidavits by December 16 stating steps being taken to implement this order. The court also asked them to file an additional affidavit by the second week of January 2005 detailing the full implementation of the direction to supply cooked meal to all eligible children.

The court said the responsibility of monitoring implementation of the scheme was essentially that of the Central Government, as it was providing assistance. It directed the Centre 8216;8216;to file, within four weeks, an affidavit stating how it proposes to manage, monitor or evaluate the Mid-Day Meal Scheme so that benefits under the scheme reach those for whom it is meant8217;8217;.

The court then turned its attention to the poor implementation of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana AAY under which the 8216;8216;poorest of the poor8217;8217; were to be issued a red card entitling them to rice and wheat at highly-subsidised rates from dealers under the public distribution system PDS.

The court was informed that many people belonging to primitive groups have not been identified under the AAY so far. The court directed all state governments to complete identification of persons falling under this scheme, and to issue them red cards by the end of 2004, so that supply of foodgrains to them may begin immediately thereafter.