Soaring vegetable prices has made it difficult for the implementing agency to maintain the menu in various government schools in Karimnagar district.
As per the government menu, the midday meal providers have to serve vegetables and dal prepared with tomatoes everyday. Besides, they are expected to serve three eggs in a week to each student. The government provides only rice to the workers to prepare food and they have to purchase all the ingredients such as oil, tamarind, chilli powder, turmeric, dhania, onions, salt and other food items to be used for preparing curries, apart from eggs and fuel.
Big menu
The government is paying ₹8.18 paise for each student studying from eight to tenth class and ₹ 6.18 paise for each student from sixth to eighth class and ₹4.13 paise for each student from first to fifth class. With the steep increase in prices of all vegetables, including onion, which has crossed ₹60 per kilogram, the midday meal workers are forced to cut down on the items on the menu.
“Before the prices of vegetables increased, we used to serve the food as per menu. But, now it has become very difficult to purchase vegetables and leafy vegetables to prepare curries,” said Vasumathi, a midday meal worker of government high school in Karimnagar town. “I am unable to buy even leafy vegetables like spinach as it costs ₹ 120 per kilogram,” she complained and added she was forced to purchase cheap vegetables like potatoes to serve it to students.
No earnings
“We are not even getting the income a daily wage worker gets after working from morning to evening preparing food and serving the midday meals to the students,” another midday meal worker Lalitha said. The vegetable price hike had become a big cause of concern, she pointed out.
The school authorities said that they were unable to complain against the midday meal workers for not following the official menu because of steep hike in prices of vegetables and other commodities. Despite the high costs they were providing nutritious food to the students, they added.
