Undertook exercise to pay food security allowance to mid-day meal beneficiaries at earliest: Delhi govt tells HC
Aug 24, 2020
New Delhi [India], Aug 24 : The Delhi government on Monday submitted before the Delhi High Court that it has undertaken to complete the exercise of payment of Food Security Allowance (FSA) to the beneficiaries of mid-day meals at the earliest.
The Delhi government, in an affidavit, apprised the court that the exercise of obtaining bank accounts and other details of mid-day meal beneficiaries has faced several impediments due to lockdown as migrant families have left for their home towns, etc.
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, which was hearing a plea seeking directions to provide cooked mid-day meal or food security allowance to all eligible students amid the lockdown, listed the matter for further hearing on September 24.
Delhi government further submitted that Rs 27.24 crores received from the Central government were spent on FSA for students of Department of Education (DoE) operated schools in April -June 2020 and Rs 21.17 crores were disbursed to other agencies operating schools in Delhi for their expenses towards mid-day meal scheme.
The government also said that Rs 5.19 crores were paid to Food Corporation of India and others for their expenses.
The PIL, filed by NGO Mahila Ekta Manch through advocate Kamlesh Kumar, sought directions to the respondents to ensure distribution of cooked meal or cash transfer in account of beneficiaries of midday meal scheme.
The plea said that the petitioner NGO was approached by parents of certain school-going children who are also beneficiaries of the midday meal scheme of the Central government being channelised through state governments all over the country.
Midday meal scheme, which aims two vital goals of increasing enrolment of students from the disadvantaged sections of society and food security for poor children, has played a vital role in fighting malnutrition in children aged about 5-15 years.
