Hyderabad: As Telangana battles a slew of food poisoning cases across schools in the state, Self-Help Groups (SHG) entrusted with the job of managing midday meals allege that they haven’t received funds in months.
Result: They are forced to cut corners while plating up these meals, often paying out of their own pockets to buy raw material.
As per the norm, the Telangana govt is expected to release between Rs 480 and Rs 960 per student per year for over 20 lakh students. But the SHG members that TOI spoke to said that for the last 3 to 12 months, not a single rupee has been released into their account. The only saving grace is the central funds which make up 60% of the total expenditure being released once every two or three months, they added.
“If these funds were to stop too, we’ll have to shut shop and children won’t have food to eat,” said Seshanna, a cook from Gajwel adding that the state govt last released funds three months ago. “But while we are sanctioned ₹5 per egg, the actual cost is ₹6. The balance is paid by us.”
Inflation adds to woes
Not just eggs, prices of other raw materials such as oil and flour have also shot through the roof, said SHG members. “Amid this inflation, we have been without money for the last 13 months. The dues run up from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh per school,” said Thipamma, an SHG worker who cooks for children at a school in Balgera village (Mahbubnagar) close to the Telangana-Karnataka border. She said that she is using money earned by her family members to fund meals for over a dozen children.
“In fact, where there is a paucity of funds, cooks buy old vegetables and inferior products. Agencies – which organise the SHGs for school service – also end up borrowing food material from ration shops and acquiring substandard materials. If the govt pays us on time, this issue will not arise,” said Geetha Mahender, who heads a state-wide union of cooks in residential schools
‘Funds being released now’
When asked about this delay, Madan Moha, school education joint director (services) and planning said that the govt is looking into it. “The payment for classes 1 to 8 was processed by the govt on Wednesday (Nov 28), and we are trying to get the payments processed for classes 9 and 10.”
He also assured that the latest instructions of the govt about food safety will be followed with immediate effect.
Apart from the monetary crisis, other issues like the use of fortified rice, old utensils, poor hygiene, and absence of vigilance from headmasters, mandal education, and district education officers are also reasons for poor quality food being served to students, alleged sources.
‘Fortified rice often not cooked’
Venkat Reddy, national convener of the MV Foundation, which advocates for child rights, said, “We are told that the usage of fortified rice is causing a lot of stomach ailments among children, and many cooks told us that students straight up reject eating the food.”
While Dr Swati Arra, head of the health command centre at the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Society (TGTWREIS), did not find fault with the quality, she said the method of cooking is a concern. “Fortified rice must be cooked in a particular way to make it palatable. If you cook it like normal rice, it turns into a sludge which is inedible. So, many try to undercook it, causing the half-baked rice to cause digestion issues among children.”
State to form task force
Amid the onslaught of cases of students falling ill in the districts, the state govt has ordered the formation of a state-wide special task force consisting of the food safety commissioner, HoDs of institutions, and district level officers. The task force has been given the job of visiting and enquiring all food incidents reported in any incident, and fixing up responsibility against persons and agencies responsible for the lapses. Individually, institutional food safety committees for all day scholars and residential schools along with hostels and anganwadis are also being constituted to monitor the quality of food. The committee, which will consist of the head of the institution and two other staff members in the institution, will inspect the premises and ensure that the quality and hygiene are top notch.
Edu commission to tour state
The Telangana Education Commission, under the leadership of Chairman Akunuri Murali, is set to commence a comprehensive statewide tour from Thursday to December 7. The tour aims to assess and evaluate government educational institutions across all districts in the state. Commission members Prof PL Vishweshwar Rao, Venkatesh, and Jyotsna will accompany the chairman during the inspection. The primary objective of this tour is to formulate recommendations and proposals for enhancing the quality of education in Telangana’s education system. State Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari has issued directives to all district collectors to ensure smooth execution of the tour. The collectors have been instructed to provide necessary logistical support and security arrangements for the visiting Commission team.
Statewide bandh on Saturday
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has called for a state-wide bandh on Saturday, protesting the unresponsiveness of the govt to the continuous food poisoning incidents in the state. The organisation demanded the Chief Minister to review the education dept, hostels, gurukuls, and KGBVs to resolve problems.
