'Won't compromise on mid-day meal quality, will find resource'

"What ever the petroleum ministry gives or finance ministry gives, we will not compromise on the quality of mid- day meal, that we are committed. We will manage, we will find resources but we will not compromise on that programme," Pallam Raju told PTI at the sidelines of a programme of Delhi University.

Earlier, Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor had said that the request of HRD Ministry has not been agreed to and the Petroleum Ministry has advised that the additional burden could be compensated to the HRD Ministry through the budgetary provision for mid-day meal scheme. The cap on LPG cylinder will put an additional burden of Rs 653 crore on the scheme.

Worried that the mid-day meal programme could be hit by the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders, the then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had written to the Petroleum Ministry in October suggesting that it consider providing subsidised LPG cylinders for the current fiscal year.