South Delhi Municipal Corporation is taking all precautionary measures to avert any mishappening in its midday meal programme. In the backdrop of the midday meal tragedy in a school in Bihar, the education department of the south corporation has taken a number of steps to prevent any shortcomings and their fallouts.
With this initiative, the South Corporation has become the first civic body of the country to introduce online monitoring of midday-meal. Education Committee chairman Satish Upadhyaya said that web cameras have been installed in all the kitchens where the midday-meal is prepared.
“Through these cameras all activities in the kitchens can be viewed during work,” he said.
Mr Upadhyaya further said that a new helpline has been introduced for the midday-meal issues at the education department headquarters and also in kitchens of the NGOs.
He said that all the NGOs have been directed to appoint a nutrition expert in each kitchen to ensure and certify that the raw material being used for cooking midday-meal is as per norms.
Education director Sushil Singh said that the corporation has made health check-up mandatory for all the personnel involved in preparation and distribution of food.
“The vehicles carrying cooked food to schools will not be left unattended even for a second at any time. We have also made compulsory for the NGOs to properly seal the containers carrying the midday-meal,” said Mr Singh.