No more NGOs, Mid-day meal to be provided through school kitchens again

November 10: The centralized kitchen run by the NGOs for providing Mid-day Meal was put on hold in 19 districts of Assam including Cachar and Karimganj with effect from 11 November,  2019. In the schools of these 19 districts, Mid-day Meal will be provided through their school kitchen.

In an order issued by the Mission Director SSA on and State Nodal Officer MDM Scheme,  Assam on 10 November, 2019, it was stated that government of Assam has decided to conduct an enquiry on supply of Mid-day Meal (MDM) to schools through centralized kitchen run by NGOs.

It is in this context that the functioning of the centralized kitchen run by the NGOs in the 19 districts were put on hold. In his order, the Mission Director SSA wrote, “It is also decided to provide MDM to the children through their school kitchen as it was done earlier. ”

The Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts were directed to give necessary instruction to their respective District Mission Coordinators for continuation of providing MDM through their school kitchens with effect from 11 November, 2019.

The districts which were directed to revert back to the previous system of serving MDM through their school kitchens are South Salmara Mankachar, Goalpara, Darrang, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Cachar, Karimganj,  Chirang, Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Barpeta, Charaideo, Nagaon, Hojai, Biswanath, Golaghat, BTC and Kokrajhar.

It needs mention here that there has been huge protests from several stake holders since the NGOs started serving MDM.