of dry ration — amounting to 145 grams per day for children up to class V and 217 grams per day for classes VI to VIII — last December. They were given ration for a period of 6 months from July to December 2020, and monthly starting from this January.
Though physical classes have been off and on for children of eligible grades since November 1, cooked mid-day meals are not likely to resume soon with the education department citing a logistical challenge.
“We will stick to distributing dry ration for the time being. Even when schools are open, only 50% of the children are allowed to come on a given day to maintain Covid protocol. Re-introducing cooked meals in schools poses the challenge of how to cater to students who are not coming to school on the given day. Juggling both ration distribution and cooked meals does not seem feasible. Ration distribution can reach more children for now,” said a senior government official.
According to Arvind Singh of Matri Sudha, an NGO which works in the field of nutrition, there is scope to ensure nutrition quality and standards when hot-cooked meals are consumed by children in school. “Once dry ration kits are given, there is no way to ensure that the food — which is measured as per the child’s nutrition requirement — is going to their stomach,” he said.
