Arjun writes to Pawar on meal scheme

Sources in both ministries confirm that Singh wrote the letter a few days ago. HRD ministry sources say the letter was written after several state governments sent in written complaints that adequate food grains had not been supplied to the states under the scheme. Among the states which complained are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The inadequacy of the supply is being blamed on the fact that there has been an escalation in the cost of supplying food grains in the last year or so, with the HRD ministry reportedly unwilling to pay the difference to the FCI. Sources add that under the mid-day meal scheme, the states receive a year's supply of food grains in advance from FCI, but this year a provision for only three months has been made so far.

"A year's supply to all states would amount to about 3 lakh metric tonnes of grain. Around 70 per cent of rice and 30 per cent of wheat used in the scheme is picked up from the FCI," said a source in the HRD ministry.

In fact, in this year's budget, the mid-day meal scheme has been extended to the upper primary schoolchildren as well, raising the number of beneficiaries from 11.3 crore to 13.9 crore. In such a scenario, any roadblock in the supply chain will hit the scheme hard.