The Indian Express                31.07.2013 

In Delhi primary schools, midday meals deficient in protein, calories: Corpn report

The story in the South and East corporations is not very
different, with nearly 50 per cent of the South corporation’s samples
failing nutrition tests. In the east, statistics are similar to those of
schools under the North civic body, Yogendra Mann, the corporation’s
PRO said.

The civic bodies claimed that the methodology of testing was
leading to faulty results. “Shriram Institute for Industrial Research
(the lab certified to conduct these tests) is testing wet samples
instead of dry ones, so the results are not accurate,” Satish Upadhyay,
Chairman of the South corporation’s education committee, said.

Every midday meal should ideally provide 12 gm of protein and 450
calories energy — a standard most samples are failing to meet. Each of
the civic three bodies has tasked NGOs with the responsibility of
providing healthy and nutritious food to primary school students in the
Capital. According to the agreement, Shriram Institute for Industrial
Research draws five samples every month from each NGO (four from schools
and one from the NGO kitchen) to conduct tests.

Following the tragedy in Bihar, in which 23 students died after
consuming a midday meal served at a primary school, all three
corporations have been undertaking surprise visits to schools and have
swung into action to avoid a similar incident from occurring in the
Capital.

“We are keeping a close watch on how the midday meals are being
prepared, the ingredients used and if the NGOs are sticking to
prescribed sanitary norms. We have also issued directives to school
principals and ordered school officials to test the food before
distributing it to the children,” Ram Kishan Bansiwal, Chairman of the
north corporation’s education committee, said.

“It has been made mandatory for NGOs to seal the containers in which
the food is being taken, besides making sure that at no point of time
are the containers left unattended. If the seal is found to be broken,
they have to directly report it to the corporation,” Upadhyay said.

The North corporation has also been conducting health check-ups
for its midday meal employees, besides installing CCTV cameras in the
NGO’s kitchen.