Priyanka Gandhi Slams UP Government For Roti-Salt Meal To Schoolchildren

MIRZAPUR: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for serving just chapatti and salt to schoolchildren in Mirzapur under the mid-day meal scheme of the central government that provides lunch and proper nutrition to children from poor families who study in government schools across the country.

"In Mirzapur's school, students are being served salt and roti as mid-day meal. This is the real state of affairs of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. The government facilities are getting poorer and such treatment towards children is highly condemnable," Ms Gandhi tweeted in Hindi along with the video that shows young children sitting on the floor of the school corridor, eating rotis with just some salt in their plates.

After an inquiry, the district authorities called it "a serious lapse" and teacher in charge of the school and the supervisor at the gram panchayat have been suspended.

The website of the Uttar Pradesh mid-day meal authority, the overseeing body for these meals in the state, describes an elaborate menu that is supposed to be served to children at government-run primary schools. It includes pulses rice, rotis and vegetables. Fruits and milk are included on certain days, according to the meal chart.

The Uttar Pradesh government says it is providing mid-day meals in over 1.5 lakh primary and middle schools across the state, as of December 2018. Over 1 crore children are supposed to benefit from the scheme.

According to the centre, the mid-day meal scheme is designed to provide a minimum of 450 calories per child per day, which should include at least 12 grams of protein too each day. These meals should be served to each child at least 200 days a year.