The Commission recommends that every meal should be tasted by a designated teacher, a cook and a parent, before being served to students.
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The midday meal scheme in Telangana is grappling with hygiene, financial and logistical challenges, as meal unit rates remain significantly lower than prevailing market prices. This is one of the conclusions of Telangana Education Commission which studied the issue and has proposed a revision to ensure better food quality and safety in government schools.
Currently, the cost per meal, including eggs, stands at ₹8.69 for students in classes 1 to 5 and ₹11.79 for those in classes 6 to 10. The Commission has recommended increasing the rates to ₹13.45 (54.78%) for classes 1 to 5, ₹18.6 (57.76%) for classes 6 to 8 and ₹19.14 (62.34%) for classes 9 and 10. The proposed revisions, along with an upgraded menu, would require a revised budget of ₹151 crore. Additionally, the Commission has recommended extending the scheme to intermediate students, which would incur an additional cost of ₹39 crore, bringing the total financial implications to approximately ₹190 crore.
One of the major concerns raised by the Commission is the delay in payments to school managements, with pending bills ranging from two months to a year. The inadequate unit rates and untimely disbursements have forced self-help group (SHG) members, who work as cooks in government schools, to deviate from the prescribed menu. Many cooks are sourcing provisions on credit from local shopkeepers, who are exploiting their financial vulnerability by inflating prices, said the recommendation report.
A field study conducted by the Commission’s chairperson and three members between November and December 2024 covered government schools, residential schools, hostels, model schools, KGBVs, and Anganwadi centres across all 33 districts. The findings revealed that many government schools lack proper cooking facilities, forcing meal preparation to take place in open spaces, under trees, inside classrooms, near washrooms, or in cramped sheds. Such conditions pose a high risk of food contamination, leading to potential health hazards for students. Other issues identified include the use of low-quality rice, outdated utensils, the absence of purified drinking water, and a lack of adequate storage and warehouse facilities.
Despite the existence of a prescribed menu, consistency in implementation remains a challenge. The report said that the midday meal is supposed to include fine rice (sanna biyyam), vegetable curry, pappu charu (prepared with kandi pappu), four servings of eggs per week, and fruits such as bananas twice a week. The Commission recommends that every meal should be tasted by a designated teacher, a cook and a parent, before being served to students.
The payment system for SHG members under the scheme has also been flagged as outdated and cumbersome. The Commission suggests replacing the current multi-tiered system with an online payment mechanism. A transaction-based software should be introduced to streamline payments, along with a weekly billing system that generates payslips for SHG members, ensuring accurate and timely disbursement of wages.
In residential schools and hostels, inconsistencies in menu offerings and nutritional gaps were observed. The Commission has recommended a standardised menu across all institutions, including Gurukuls, KGBVs, Model Schools, PWD Schools, and hostels. While the mess charges in residential institutions are deemed adequate, there is a pressing need for strict monitoring to ensure adherence to nutritional guidelines and the prescribed menu, the report said.
Published – March 25, 2025 12:49 on is
