Software to daily monitor mid-day meal scheme

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 12

Punjab may soon become the first state in the country to develop and use a software to keep a tab on the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme, thereby reducing the chance of complaints and misuse of funds and food items.

Aiming to bring greater transparency in the Mid-Day Meal scheme, the state education department, in collaboration with the National Information Centre (NIC), has developed a software in which data pertaining to the scheme will be uploaded daily.

Starting July 1, when the schools reopen after summer vacations, the school heads and MDM in charges will have to send details like number of students present, menu and quantity of raw material used to prepare that particular day’s meal every day. They will message the details to the phone number 82880-29899 everyday.

Once the details reach the number, these will be automatically uploaded against the school’s name on the software which will be periodically checked by the Education Department. To ascertain if the schools are giving correct details, surprise checks will also be conducted to inspect the stock of foodgrains and condiments at the schools.

According to the general manager for the MDM scheme in the state, Prabhcharan Singh, the MDM in charges in all schools have already been intimated about the details they have to share every day. He said that even those schools, which are served meals by some private firms or self-help groups, will have to furnish the details.

“If the software is properly used, Punjab will become the first state in India to maintain a daily record of the scheme being run under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. With the use of the software, we will know every day whether the food items supplied to the schools are being properly used or not to feed close to 19 lakh students in 20,000 government schools across the state,” he said.