Honorable Punjab and Haryana High Court Directs Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana To Add Eggs and Butter To Mid-day Meal Meals

• 23 Dec, 2018
• India

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to ensure that children are provided a wholesome meal of bread, butter, jam and eggs every day under the mid-day meal scheme. The authorities have been asked to pass instructions regarding this and inform the court by January 31 “The (present) mid-day meal should be substituted with a wholesome meal, which the children would consume with happiness and which helps them be in good health, the main objective under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS),” the HC said.

Justice Ritu Bahri of the HC passed these orders during a hearing on the poor quality of mid-day meal served in schools. “The states of Punjab, Haryana and UT of Chandigarh will apply their mind to set up institutes, where they can examine manufacturing of food by using government funds and the CSR/donations as per guidelines given by some good dietitians for children/mothers. The children and lactating mothers can be given bread, butter, jam, eggs daily as a wholesome meal,” Justice Bahri observed in her recently released orders.

The judge passed these orders after senior advocate Reeta Kohli, who is assisting the HC as amicus curiae on the issue, informed the court that the mid-day meal is not appreciated by the children. Kohli had given this information after visiting Seonk village in Mohali and Bharaili village in Panchkula district of Haryana.

Senior advocate Kohli also placed on record an affidavit listing notifications issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on July 10, 2017, giving guidelines for providing a fortified nutritious diet to children under the public-funded programmes.

Source : Times of India, Chandigarh Edition Dt Dec 23 2018