Education dept has cleared bills up to Feb 2025, March bills are under scrutiny
PANAJI
In a major relief to over 98 self-help groups (SHGs) serving mid-day meals to schools, the Goa government has decided to clear the pending “committed liabilities” of COVID-19 period amounting to around Rs 9 crore. The liabilities are for the pandemic year 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Highly placed sources informed that during the Covid pandemic, dry ration was provided to all the enrolled children as per the entitlement; however, the SHGs could not submit the bills of the year 2020-21 and 2021-22 in time that is till the end of the financial year due to Covid. “The State government had requested the Union Ministry for Education, on several occasions, to release the committed liabilities of Rs 9.39 crore for the year 2020-21 and Rs 1.90 cr for 2021-22. However, the State request was not accepted,” sources said.
Sources said that the State government has now decided to shell out this committed liabilities from its own kitty and clear the bills. “Some payment has already been made. Now, another Rs 6 to 9 crore would be paid,” sources said.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Education has started clearing the pending dues of the SHGs.
The department has settled the bills till February 2025 while the bills for the month of March are being scrutinised.
The Goan had in February reported about the non-payment to SHGs since August, last year, as the available mid-day meal funds were exhausted. The total dues to be paid to the SHGs is around Rs 13-odd crore.
There are 98 SHGs and nine Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) currently supplying the meal to over 1.60 lakh students across Goa.
When contacted, Director Education Shailesh Zingade confirmed that the department has cleared the payment till February.
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.
With effect from December, last year, the government hiked the mid-day meal rates paid to SHGs. As per revised rates, SHGs will be paid Rs 8.75 per student per day for 100 gms of the meal at the pre-primary (of government and government-aided schools) as against Rs 8 and primary level, and Rs 11.12 per student per day for 150 gms of the meal for upper primary school students against earlier rate of Rs 10.
