Shimla, 07 January
Notices have been issued to 93 schools in seven districts for not providing daily information on mid-day meals. The Directorate of Higher Education has issued instructions to the school in-charges to upload the complete record within the stipulated time. It has also been made mandatory for all schools to do real-time reporting for the mid-day meal scheme. Daily mid-day meal information is not being uploaded on the portal by 31 senior secondary schools, 40 middle schools, and 22 high schools of Chamba, Shimla, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Sirmaur, and Mandi districts.
Director of Higher Education Dr. Amarjeet Kumar Sharma said that regarding the implementation of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the Government of India has issued instructions to all school authorities to ensure daily real-time reporting of the food provided to the eligible students under this scheme. According to this, every mid-day meal teacher in charge of various government schools (GPS, GMS, GHS, and GSSS) has to submit a daily report through SMS to the toll-free number 15544 using their registered mobile numbers.
The purpose of this reporting is to provide accurate data on the food provided to the enrolled students. To give the authorities a clear picture of the food distribution and ensure that the program is being executed as per its guidelines. The report should be submitted on all school working days. This system also helps in monitoring whether the allotted food is being served to the intended students or not. He said that recently it came to light that 93 schools are not submitting reports on a regular basis. Due to this, an embarrassing situation is being created for the department at both the Government of India and the State Government levels.
The Education Department has made it clear that failure to comply with this reporting requirement will not be tolerated. Schools that continue to default in daily SMS reporting may face disciplinary action, which may include penalties or other administrative consequences. The Director of Higher Education said that the success of the PM Poshan Yojana is highly dependent on timely and accurate data collection. These reports not only serve as an important tool for monitoring food distribution but also help evaluate the effectiveness of the program in addressing child nutrition needs in schools. He has directed the defaulting schools to give priority to submitting daily reports.
