HC notice to Centre over PIL alleging substandard mid day meal

The Delhi High Court today sought Centre's response on a PIL alleging that nutritional value in mid day meal provided to children in schools is far below stipulated norms under the scheme.
A division bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog issued notice to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and sought its response by November 6.
The notice followed an argument by advocate Ashok Agarwal pointing that state government has admitted the fact and written to the Centre that food is not meeting nutritional norms, and urged the court to make the Centre a party in the PIL alleging that substandard mid day meals have been provided to children in various government schools.

Agarwal told the court to refer to Delhi government's letter of June 10, 2013 in which it said that "about 45.1 per cent children demanded an extra portion of mid-day meal and nutrients i.E. As per the norms laid down by the mid day scheme.
"Currently the menu being provided under mid day meal are not meeting the nutritional norms for primary as well as upper primary school children.
"... The analysis carried out by Sriram Institute for Industrial Research based on the existing quantity indicates that the nutritional value is far below the stipulated norms."
The high court had earlier taken suo moto cognisance of a media report which said that the principal and two other teachers of a MCD primary school fell sick after tasting the mid day meal food.