‘Measures will improve midday meals’
Weeks after the death of 23 children in the mid-day meal tragedy in Bihar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his Independence Day speech on Thursday said the scheme will be reformed and “concrete measures” will be taken to ensure that meals provide under it are nutritious and cooked hygienically.
The Prime Minister also expressed anguish over the Uttarakhand floods disaster and said the government is working with all resources under its command to rehabilitate people and rebuild the damaged infrastructure in the hill state.
On the issue of mid-day meal he said the “tragedy” which happened in Bihar should not be repeated anywhere in the country. “The mid-day meal scheme will be reformed. The meals being provided to our children should not only be nutritious but also be cooked hygienically. We will take concrete measures to ensure this,” Dr Singh said.
Noting that about 11 crore children are being provided afternoon meals everyday in schools under the midday meal scheme, the Prime Minister said there was need to improve its implementation.
“This programme is of immense benefit for both education and nutrition of children. However, it is necessary to improve its implementation. The tragedy that happened in Bihar some days back should not be repeated anywhere in the country,” he said.
Twenty three children had died on July 16 after eating mid-day meal at a school on July 16 in Saran district of Bihar. The cooking oil used was suspected to be laced with insecticide.
Meanwhile, Dr Singh also expressed sympathies to the people of Uttarakhand and said that the entire country is with them in the moment of crisis. “Today is certainly a day of joy for us. But on this celebration of Independence we also feel pain in our hearts that our brothers and sisters in Uttarakhand had to face devastation about two months back,” he said.
“Our deepest sympathies are with all the families that suffered loss of life or property.”
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