DCPCR notice to NDMC for 'not distributing' dry ration to children under mid-day meal scheme

The DCPCR has issued a notice to the director of the education department of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, saying the civic body has ''not distributed'' dry ration to school children under the mid-day meal scheme.

An immediate reaction was not available from the civic body. ''North MCD has not distributed dry ration as mid-day meal to lakhs of children in its 700 schools. This is serious deprivation of rights of the children, more so in times of pandemic. Taking a serious view, @DCPCR has issued notice to Director (Education) seeking explanation!,'' DCPCR chairperson Anurag Kundu tweeted on Friday.

He also shared a copy of the notice dated September 1 on his official Twitter handle.

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights in the notice said it has been ''deeply concerned about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children, particularly from a nutritional standpoint''.

Considering the schools have been shut for nearly 17 months now, non-supply of nutritional supplements may lead to large scale malnourishment, it said.

Similar observation has been made by the Supreme Court which has said there is a need to evolve a uniform policy so as to ensure the pandemic does not adversely affect the children and their nutritional supplements provided, DCPCR member Ranjana Prasad said in the notice. ''Taking suo-motu cognisance of the matter, the commission inquired into the status of the implementation of these orders, issued in compliance with the Hon'ble Supreme Court's order and issued notice to the Government of NCT of Delhi directing it to file its reply.

Based on the records and reply filed by the Government of Delhi, the DCPCR noticed the NDMC has ''not lifted food grains meant for allocation to children of primary grades despite multiple communication from Govt of NCT of Delhi," the notice said.

Sources in the NDMC said as primary schools have been closed since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, parents of children of these schools are to be given dry ration under the mid-day meal scheme.

The DCPCR in its notice, further said, ''Consequently, lakhs of children enrolled in the North MCD schools have been deprived of their mid-day meal, threatening their nutritional status. Prima-facie, this is a serious governance lapse and the commission has decided to take up the matter seriously''.

Now, therefore, the commission has decided to ''hold inquiry into it and fix administrative liability for the lapse'' and therefore, issues notice to the Director (Education), NDMC, directing it to file an explanation as to why the commission should initiate proceedings against it, the notice said.

The DCPCR has also sought reply within two weeks ''failing which the commission will be constrained to initiate proceedings'', it said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)