*8028 posts of teachers lying vacant
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 4: While J&K School Education Department failed to utilize nearly Rs 70 crore meant for the Govt schools children under Mid Day Meal scheme in J&K last year, the Congress legislator alleged a big scandal in the Scheme and demanded a high level inquiry in it.
The issue in the Upper House of the legislature was today raised by the Congress member Jahangir Hussain Mir hailing from Poonch. The School Education portfolio is also held by Congress member from Lower House, Dy Chief Minister Tara Chand while Minister of State for School Education, Feroz Khan was responding in the House.
Alleging large scale bunglings in the kitchen infrastructure, meals and quality of stuff being provided to the children of Primary and Upper Primary in the State, the Congress member grilled the Minister and alleged that he was unable to give proper reply. He alleged that there was big scandal behind the Mid Day Meal scheme and it is needed to be investigated by a high level independent agency. He also suggested for announcing a House Committee for the same but the Chairman Amrit Malhotra out-rightly rejected it. Malhotra said it was not necessary to frame House Committee for every issue.
Mr Mir pointed out that there were no kitchen- sheds in many schools while in large number of schools there was no provision of drinking water. In the schools located in remote areas there is no provision of LPG and the Mid Day Meal stuff/ funds are withdrawn but not spent on the children. There is no proper monitoring of these schools at the grass root level and due to this, huge funds remain unspent while huge are siphoned out.
Replying to the main question, the MoS School Education, disclosed that during 2012-13 funds to the tune of Rs 181.09 crore were available under Mid Day Meal scheme for 11,07,737 students of the State in Government schools at Primary and Upper Primary level, but only Rs 112.59 crore were spent on the scheme. This year, Rs 67.83 crore are available under MDM scheme and Rs 59.69 crore, claimed to have been utilised till now. Mr Khan pointed out that against the target 21,501 kitchen sheds, 11244 have been completed and 20192 kitchen devices have been procured against the target of 22035.
Mir further stood up and pointed out that only 11,244 kitchen-sheds were available but the department purchased 20,192 kitchen devices. What was the need of such purchases when department do not have the sufficient kitchens available? The minister could not give the satisfactory reply and the Chairman, apparently came to the rescue of the minister as he repeatedly asked the agitated member to take his seat.
Replying to another question, the minister further disclosed that Mid Day Meal is a Centrally sponsored scheme and as per norms of the Programme Approval Board, Ministry of HRD, the rate of diet per child is Rs 3.34 for Primary and Rs 5 for Upper Primary students which is in consonance with the market prices and is revised by the Ministry of HRD every year. However, the LPG provided to the schools is of unsubsidized rates for which the additional requirement of funds stands projected to the Government of India, he added.
Referring to the shortage of staff in schools, Mr Khan further disclosed that 8028 posts of teachers are presently available under direct recruitment and have been referred to the SSRB for selection. The shortlisted candidates are likely to be interviewed soon. Besides this, 2910 posts of lecturers in 10 Plus Two schools are also available. 621 posts of direct quota have been referred to PSC. The vacant posts will be filled up shortly after selection. He also claimed that 10712 Primary schools against a target of 10809 have been opened under SSA. Shahnaz Ganai asked supplementary on availability of safe drinking water and toilets in the number of schools in State while B R Kundal sought another query regarding discrepancies in the lists released for promotion of Masters recently. The minister however, assured to look into the matter and sort out the problem.
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