AP CM tells officials to maintain quality in midday meal scheme

By Our Special Correspondent

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the officials to immediately fill the vacant Mandal Education Officer (MEO) and Deputy DEO posts to increase the supervision of schools.

He directed to regularly monitor the mid-day meal program by making proper mechanism and checking the quality before supplying rice to schools and anganwadis. Rice sacks should be printed as mid-day meal or ICDS rice and quality tests should be conducted every month.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister conducted a review of the management of government schools, mid-day meals, and holistic nutrition, day-to-day at the Education Department here. He issued some important orders to the officials.

In this review, the Chief Minister said that the cooks should be given credit for cooking delicious food and regular training programs should be conducted. Officials have been directed to regularly monitor the quality of groundnut grits and conduct random quality checks at the manufacturing, supply and distribution stages.

Officials said that eggs are being stamped during distribution as the Chief Minister has ordered strict action against the agencies if they are distributed without stamping.

He directed the officials to speed up the work in the second phase of the schools today and to take measures like appointing watchmen for safety as valuable equipment is being installed in the schools.

The authorities were directed to set up a call center on the management of schools to register complaints and solve problems as day-to-day management of schools is important.

All the works should be audited four times a year and repair works should be undertaken immediately as all the works are under warranty.

There should be strict monitoring of YSR Sampurna Poshan and Sampurna Poshan Plus programmes. It has been ordered to fill the vacant posts of Anganwadi Supervisors, Anganwadi Workers and Assistants.

Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana, KV Usha Sricharan, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Education Department Special CS Budithi Rajasekhar, Women and Child Welfare Department Principal Secretary AR Anuradha, Finance Department Secretary NS Gulzar, School Education Commissioner S Suresh Kumar and others participated in the review.