West Bengal: State-run schools directed to provide midday meal supplies to parents in summer vacation

West Bengal schools have been directed to distribute midday meal supplies to parents of students during summer vacations.

State-run schools in West Bengal have been directed by the state government to provide midday meal supplies to students’ parents during the course of summer vacations so that they are not deprived of the facility. According to a school education department official, this marks the first time that midday meal supplies are going to be distributed to school students during the pandemic period. Previously, these mid-day meals were provided for school students during the Covid-19 period while schools were closed.

All the district magistrates in the state were directed via a notice on Tuesday to arrange for the distribution of the midday meal supplies to the guardians of beneficiary students.

Officials were further told to chalk out a distribution plan by May 25 in order for the distribution of supplies to be carried out at every school.

Each student is entitled to 2 kg of rice, 2 kg of potato, 250 g of sugar, 250 g of pulses, and 1 piece of soap, according to the notice.

"This is a good step. We will fix a date after May 25, and ask a section of the employees and teachers to come to the school to hand over the uncooked midday meal items to the guardians," said the Headmistress of a primary school in Murshidabad district, Firoza Begum,

She added that there wouldn’t be any logistical problems because such items had already been distributed among parents during the pandemic phase.

(With PTI inputs)