By IANS
New Delhi : At least 30 million students of classes 6 to 8 will soon get free food at schools as the government Thursday expanded the mid-day meal scheme from lower primary to upper primary level.
The cabinet committee on economics gave a go ahead to the proposal, sent by the human resource development ministry. The approval will extend the scheme, so far restricted till class 5, to students of upper primary stage in government schools, government aided schools, schools under the education guarantee scheme and alternative and innovative education centres.
During the ongoing financial year, 3,479 educationally backward blocks will be covered under the scheme and it would be implemented across the country by April 2009.
“The rationale for extension of the scheme to the upper primary stage of education is derived from the importance of the age group 11-14 in terms of the children’s physical and mental development,” the cabinet committee said.
“Children in this age group represent a vital segment of our population – their health, nutritional status and educational attainments will determine the quality of our country in the years to come,” the committee added.
For the implementation of this scheme, the central government will provide every school Rs.60,000 to construct kitchen-cum-storeroom in upper primary schools and would provide central assistance of Rs.5,000 for purchase of kitchen devices.
Currently, nearly 120 million school children are provided free mid day meals every day.