Social media platforms are recently ablaze with discussions regarding the midday meal program for children in Itahari sub-metropolitan city. Images showcasing the distribution of meals to students from Kindergarten to Class 6, along with the weekly menu, have flooded various social media channels.
The focal point of online conversations revolves around the subsidized cost of the provided lunches, sparking allegations of partiality in the school's administration of the midday meal initiative.
Criticism on social media is widespread, with concerns raised about the failure to deliver lunches to students at a cost-effective rate.
In the sub-metropolitan city, a total of 8,028 students are set to benefit from the midday meal program. The federal government extends a subsidy of 1 crore 98 lakh 84 thousand rupees for these students. Additionally, the sub-metropolitan municipality allocates three crore 66 lakh 16 thousand rupees from its budget, launching the midday meal program through a tender process and resulting in a comprehensive budget of five crore 65 lakh rupees.
The sub-metropolitan municipality has introduced a weekly menu, featuring 210 grams of three different fruits on Sunday, eggs and flattened rice (chiura) on Monday, mixed vegetables and chiura on Tuesday, a combination of kheer and vegetables on Wednesday, curd along with chiura and vegetables on Thursday, and Khasi (mutton) or chicken meat with chiura on Friday. Additionally, a specific menu caters to nine vegetarians, incorporating peas and paneer.
Despite actively promoting a campaign against junk food, the metropolitan municipality has faced scrutiny over the quality of offerings from the contractor. A participating school expressed concerns about the contractor's standards. Hem Karna Poudel, the mayor of Itahari, disclosed that the metropolitan municipality initiated the breakfast program by issuing the first tender for breakfast items. He emphasized that the breakfast program is part of broader educational improvement measures and asserts that this marks the first instance of introducing such a program, complete with a menu, in Nepal. The program kicked off with the distribution of breakfast to students in class 6 at the National Secondary School of Itahari Municipality.
Falguni Prasad Kafle, Head of the Youth, Sports Development, and Education Development Division, clarified that the initiative aims to provide midday meals for 180 days to students up to class 6 in 50 educational institutions. This includes 36 community schools, two religious schools, and child development centers within the sub-metropolitan city.
