Food Commission member pays visit to govt school, checks quality of mid-day meal in Khairabad village

Punjab State Food Commission member Vijay Dutt visited Government High School at Khairabad village here on Wednesday. During his inspection visit, he placed special emphasis on nutrition awareness among schoolchildren by adopting the kitchen garden of the school.

He said kitchen gardens play a crucial role in apprising children of the importance of healthy food, fresh vegetables and a balanced diet.

He directed the school staff to ensure that children are regularly educated on proper nutrition and healthy eating habits so they can adopt a healthy lifestyle from an early age.

Dutt also instructed schools that currently do not have kitchen gardens to immediately identify a suitable space, develop kitchen gardens and start growing seasonal vegetables, herbs and other nutritious crops.

Following this, Dutt conducted a surprise inspection of various government schools and anganwadi centres in Verka and Amritsar-3 blocks. The visit aimed to assess the ground-level implementation of nutrition and food security schemes under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

During the inspection, he reviewed the kitchen facilities, food storage, cleanliness standards, and the overall quality of the mid-day meal being served. He emphasised that regular health check-ups of mid-day meal workers must be ensured and that the cooking process should strictly adhere to hygiene and safety norms.

Dutt also talked to students regarding the quality of mid-day meal and joined them for lunch. He noted that the TDS level of drinking water in several schools was not satisfactory. He instructed the department concerned to get the water tested immediately and ensure a clean, safe drinking water supply to the staff and students.

He further directed that all schools and anganwadi centres must prominently display the Punjab State Food Commission Complaint & Helpline Number: 9876764545 so that beneficiaries can directly report any grievance without hesitation.

Dutt said any negligence in schemes related to children’s health, nutrition and food security will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against those found responsible for irregularities.