- Mid-day meal menu can get approval for hot cooked food in UP
- Hot cooked food will be prepared in kitchens of primary and upper primary schools in co-located Anganwadi centers
By Our Correspondent
Lucknow: The Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh, which is working towards providing hot cooked food to children aged 03-06 years at Anganwadi centers, may decide to keep a uniform menu for the smooth operation of the Mid-Day Meal scheme.
According to the proposal, the same food will be served to the children at Anganwadi centers, which is being served to the children in basic schools under the scheme. This proposal was recently put forward in the state-level task force meeting on Hot Cooked Meal Scheme, which was chaired by Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra. The task force will make a decision on this, and it might get the approval from the Chief Minister.
Millets will be prioritized in the meals
The proposal suggests that approximately 65 percent of Anganwadi centers in the state are located on the premises of primary and upper primary schools. Therefore, the food will be prepared in the kitchens of these schools. Hence, the proposal is to keep a menu similar to the PM Nutrition Scheme (Mid-Day Meal).
The menu for the week would include roti, seasonal vegetable with added soybean, and fresh seasonal fruit. On Tuesday, students will be served rice with dal and vegetables, Wednesday will include ‘tahari’ with seasonal vegetables and soybeans and on Thursday they will have roti with dal and vegetables. On Friday and Saturday, tahari with seasonal vegetables and soybeans, and dal with rice and vegetables will be served respectively. However, the priority will be given to millets in hot cooked food.
Anganwadi helpers will serve food
The Chief Secretary directed officials at the meeting that under PM Nutrition in the co-located Anganwadi centres, hot cooked food should be prepared and made available to the children by the cooks in the kitchens located near the primary and upper primary schools. Anganwadi centers located within a radius of 200-meters should be linked to the nearest primary school.
The Chief Secretary further instructed that the responsibility of delivering the prepared cooked meal to the Anganwadi center and distributing and serving it to the children should be given to the Anganwadi helpers. If there are two schools within a radius of 200-meters, priority should be given to the nearby primary and upper primary schools.
