Mid-day meal: Punjab government withdraws decision to give kinnow to students, now focus on fruits

Mohali: The Education Department has withdrawn the decision to provide Kinnow under the Prime Minister Nutrition Scheme (Mid Day Meal). According to the information, Kinnow crop will end in a few days, due to which orders have been issued to again distribute seasonal fruits to the students under mid-day meal.

According to the new order, the supply of Kinnow has been stopped in Punjab after March 5. After this, the school head can give any seasonal fruits to the students to eat.

It has also been made clear in the order that March 8, 2024 is a holiday. Therefore, on 6th and 7th March, school heads of district Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Malerkotla, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka, Mansa, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Ropar and SAS Nagar (Mohali) will ensure to provide any seasonal fruits to the children. Student.

The responsibility of availability of fruits throughout Punjab was given to Punjab Agro, which was supplying to the education blocks at the rate of Rs 5 per quintal. 18 lakh 37 thousand 964 (367593 kg) Kinnows are being given to the students of all the educational blocks and districts of Punjab every week. According to the data, every week quinoa worth Rs 36 lakh 53 thousand 776 has been purchased from farmers and distributed in Punjab Agro schools. Now when the crop is ending, the government has withdrawn this decision and has issued an order to give any seasonal fruit.

23 officers of Deputy DEO level were appointed as nodal officers.

Let us tell you that to carry out the distribution system in the schools of Punjab, 23 officers of Deputy DEO level were appointed as nodal officers at the district level. Accordingly, 246 educational blocks were divided into four blocks to ensure supply in Punjab. The first supply took place in 53 blocks on Monday, February 19, in which 4 lakh 48 thousand 96 quintals were supplied. On February 21, 4 lakh 53 thousand 864 quintals were supplied to the next 58 blocks and on February 22, 4 lakh 82 thousand 51 and 4 lakh 53 thousand 953 quintals were supplied to 66 and 69 other blocks respectively.