Panaji: Admitting that food provided to students under mid-day meal scheme was sub-standard, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today mooted the idea of setting up hygienic community kitchens for the purpose.
"The food provided under the scheme is so sub-standard that even animals won`t eat it," the chief minister said on the floor of the House responding to a question on mid-day meal scheme launched by state education department. "60-70 per cent of the food provided to schools by self help groups under this scheme is thrown out," he admitted.
The state government is thinking to have community kitchens which would be hygienic, Parrikar said, adding that "SHGs can come to these kitchens and cook the food."
The issue would be settled by November this year by involving the parent-teachers` associations, he said. The basic idea is that students in primary classes should get 300 calories and those in upper primary should get 400-500 calories, in addition to 12-20 grams of proteins as nutrition, he said.
PTI