What is not so well known is how it has affected teachers and headmasters across the state over the last few months, who have been paying out of their own pockets to keep the mid-day meal scheme running.
The schools couldn’t pay for the meals since there has been a delay in the disbursal of PM Poshan Fund which sponsors the meals, reports The Times of India.
Combined with the drought, this has come as a double whammy for the teaching staff of the schools.
The delay in the disbursal of funds is due to the adoption of the single nodal agency SPARSH, which is to handle direct cash transfers to centrally sponsored schemes, the TOI said.
The newspaper quoted one official as saying: “Money from the Centre for workers’ salaries has finally arrived… Within 8-10 days the money will be disbursed.”
A headmaster from Beed said that while supplies of foodgrains and pulses have been coming in, but school heads have been paying for cooking fuel and vegetables since June 15. If he had not paid for food supplies children would have dropped out of school.
To which the aforementioned official had this say: “As for the funding for fuel and vegetables, the bill has been presented at the state treasury and that will be distributed before Dassehra.”
