Mid-Day Meal additional expenditure will be borne by Ministry

The HRD ministry today said the additional expenditure on subsidy arising out of the decision to revise rates of food grains supplied under Mid Day Meal Scheme will be borne by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
In a statement, the HRD ministry said the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has decided to revise rates of food grains supplied under Mid Day Meal Scheme from Below Poverty Line (BPL) rate to the rate applicable under National Food Security Act (NFSA) for the first two quarters of the year 2016-17.
Now the food grains would be supplied at NFSA rate of Rs 3

per kg for rice and Rs 2 per kg for wheat with effect from April, 1, 2016.
Under the Mid Day Meal Scheme, hot cooked meals are served to 10.20 crore children in 11.56 lakh Government and Government aided elementary schools on all school days.
The cost of food grains is fully borne by the Central Government and the food grains - rice and wheat are supplied by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and in some cases by the State Food & Civil Supplies Corporations, the statement said.

The BPL rates are Rs 5.65 per kg for rice and Rs 4.15 per kg for wheat. During 2015-16, 23.19 lakh tonnes of rice and 4.56 lakh tonnes of wheat was allocated to States and UTs under the Scheme, it added.

As mandated under the NFSA, 2013, the Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015 were notified in September, 2015 which made the MDM Scheme eligible for supply of food grains at NFSA rates i.E Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg for wheat and rice respectively.
"Additional expenditure on subsidy arising out of the above decision will be borne by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution," the statement said.