Chhattisgarh : September 18, 2020. The Corona crisis has broken the back of the country’s economy. The situation is bad in every sector. It will take a long time to overcome the adversity. Many schemes are in crisis in the states. But in the midst of adverse conditions, Chhattisgarh is a state where there is a crisis of corona, but still the situation is better than other states of the country. At present, the number of patients in Chhattisgarh is high, but not dangerous.
Better implementation of schemes in every sector
Even in this hour of crisis, Chhattisgarh has done such a good job in many fronts that it is an example for other states. In the same period of crisis, the Chhattisgarh government has also shown how the schemes can be implemented better. Then, whether it is about giving employment in MNREGA or buying and paying from tendu leaf collectors. Whether it is to do justice to farmers and cowherds or to start the recruitment process for educated youth. Chhattisgarh government has been number one everywhere in the country.
Now, Chhattisgarh has been at the top in the country in giving mid-day meal to school children during this time of contrast. In fact, after the lockdown, when the schools were closed and the situation did not improve, the schools were not going to open, then Bhupesh Sarkar decided that even if the schools would not open, the children would be given their mid-day meal. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel discussed with the Minister of School Education that it was decided that all the school children of the state would be given dry ration under mid-day meal.
90 percent more children benefit
According to the report of Oxfam India, 27 million children of the country have been affected due to the closure of the school, while mid-day meal is the right of every child under the National Food Security Act 2013. In response to a question in the Lok Sabha last September 14, the Central Government admitted that many children had to be deprived of the benefits of the midday meal scheme. But when you will find the answer to this question in Chhattisgarh, you will find that 90 percent of the children in the state have benefited from it.
A survey of Oxfam India has revealed that Chhattisgarh has the best performance in the country in giving mid-day meal even in the midst of Corona crisis. According to the report, more than 90 percent of the children in Chhattisgarh have got the benefit of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, but what is surprising in this report is that in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, 92 percent of the children have not got the midday meal. The survey has also revealed that in Uttar Pradesh, where the focus was on providing food security allowance. In Chhattisgarh, the focus was on home delivery of ration.
Immediate implementation of court’s instructions
In fact, during the lockdown, in March, the Supreme Court had given instructions to ensure the supply of mid-day food between schools in the state. Acting on this direction of the court, Bhupesh Sarkar took immediate steps in Chhattisgarh. The government directed that midday meals should be provided by providing dry ration to the homes of school children.
In this context, Bhupesh Baghel issued guidelines regarding distribution of dry ration to school children under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme on 21 March 2020 to all collectors and district education officers. It was made profit in village. The result was-
In Chhattisgarh, school children were given dry ration for the first 40 days of lockdown.
Thereafter for 45 days from May 1 to June 15.
A 45-day dry ration was distributed from 16 June to 10 August.
So far, 130-day dry ration distribution has been completed.
Under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, about 29 lakh children in about 43 thousand schools of the state benefit from distribution of dry ration.
Please tell that under the Midday Meal Scheme, the door-to-door distribution of dry ration was made through the School Education Department. The dry ration packets distributed include rice, oil, soybeans, lentils, salt and pickles. In view of the convenience of school children and parents at the local level by the state government, it was also arranged that if parents cannot go to school to collect the packet, then go home from house to house through self-help groups and school staff. Home delivery of ration packets should be done.
In the form of food security allowance, the children were distributed dal, oil, dry vegetables etc. with the amount of dry rice and cooking cast. According to the guidelines of Mid-Day Meal Scheme, those children from class I to VIII, whose names are registered in government school, grant-in-aid government school or madrasa-Maktab, were given mid-day meal.
