PANAJI
With the available mid-day meal funds being exhausted, close to 98 self-help groups (SHGs) are yet to receive their payment of last six months.
The Education Department is awaiting a Rs 7 crore installment from the Centre to partially clear pending payments to SHGs, which have been due since August last year.
There are 98 SHGs and nine Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) currently supplying meals to over 1.60 lakh students across Goa.
According to some SHGs, who approached The Goan, their bills are not cleared since August and the Department has assured to clear the same once the required funds are available.
When contacted, Director Education Shailesh Zingade admitted that the payments are due since August and would be cleared shortly.
Highly placed sources confirmed that the State is awaiting Rs 7 crore, the fourth installment for mid-day meal from the Centre. “The State will add its share but the amount won’t be sufficient to clear the six months backlog. The Department may be in position to pay off part payment that is for two-three months,” sources said adding the pending dues are around Rs 13-odd crores.
“The Department used the first three installments to clear the arrears and bills for June-July of the current academic year,” sources said.
Mid-day meal expenses for approximately 1,400 schools across the State are expected to reach Rs 38.27 crore for the current academic year. Of this, Rs 18.78 crore will be borne by the Centre, with the rest contributed by the State.
“The Centre generally shares costs with States in a 60:40 ratio. However, Goa contributes more than its dedicated share,” sources said.
From December last year, the government hiked mid-day meal rates paid to SHGs. As per the revised rates, SHGs will receive Rs 8.75 per student per day for a 100g meal at the pre-primary level in government and government-aided schools, up from Rs 8. For primary-level students, the rate remains unchanged. For upper primary students, SHGs will now be paid Rs 11.12 per student per day for a 150g meal, compared to the previous rate of Rs 10.
Non-payment of their bills periodically and regularly, is a common complaint of the mid-day meal suppliers to schools across the State. On several occasions in the recent past, they even threatened to temporarily discontinued food supply to the students.
