Centralized Mid Day Meal Scheme of Chhattisgarh

The Mid-day Meal Scheme is the popular name for school meal programme in India which started in the 1960s.It involves provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all working days. The key objectives of the programme are: protecting children from classroom hunger, increasing school enrolment and attendance, improved socialization among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to women.

This ambitious scheme of government has been facing several issues like corruption in the education department (both at ground level and at higher levels), hygiene, regularity, kitchen facilities, variety of items in the meal, quality and quantity. Cases of siphoning of funds by officials and grains by in-charge at school level are common. Often cases of food poisoning can be read in the newspaper. There were no variety in the meal and also the nutrition value of the food was ignored. Availability of meal depended on series of factors right from stocking of grains to presence or absence of the cook.

Chhattisgarh government in order to check the issues has started a unique Centralized Mid Day Meal Programme for its urban region. Under this programme, the meals for the schools of urban area are prepared at a central location and the cooked meal is sent to different schools on small trucks. Since the schools run in two shifts, the meal is cooked twice. The centers have modern kitchen which can cook food for over thousand in one go. The facilities include solar heating facility, water heaters which run on LPG as well as on wood logs & coal, water filters which are in series to ensure proper filtered water and godowns for stocking the grains and vegetables. The meal is cooked by steam (as is done in making idlies) which ensures energy conservation and smokeless environment. The menu has items like rice, dal, vegetables, curd, kheer, sprouted gram, etc.

The Centralized Mid Day Meal scheme runs on a contract basis done by tenders. Presently, it is being done in the urban areas of different districts of Chhattisgarh due nearness of schools and ease of transportation. Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited provides rice and sugar, while the milk and other items are procured locally. The contractors have their own transporting facility to deliver the cooked food which is still warm at the time of delivery. The kitchen runs on all working days.

The scheme is very popular in the corridors of government agencies and schools, however there are limitations and scope of extension. The scheme is limited for urban region only and transportation of cooked meal incurs additional cost.

The unique initiative by Chhattisgarh government has helped reduce corruption in the Mid Day Meal Scheme. The operation management has become easier on government’s part. The school enrolment has increased and a healthy and warm food prepared in hygienic environment is ensured.

Chawal Utsav (Rice Festival): A day that marks food security to all

Chhattisgarh government has initiated a unique festival in the state known as Chawal Utsav (Rice Festival) that ensures food security to all. It is celebrated on 7^th day of every month irrespective of the day being a working day or a holiday. This popularity of the day among the citizens of state has motivated the government to carry out other welfare schemes on the very day. The people wait eagerly for the day and a  social gathering at the Fair Price Shops (FPS) can be seen on the day.

Rice is the staple food of Chhattisgarh. The State had earlier been suffering from a problem of shortage of food grains. It was not because of the less production of rice, but mostly due to artificial shortages created by middle men. There were several cases of death due to starvation. The farmers did not get sufficient support price for the paddy. Public Distribution System (PDS) department of Chhattisgarh was infected by high corruption and black marketing and was no different from PDS department of any other state. Government funds were siphoned for personal benefits. There was hardly any accountability in the system.

The state government in order to check the twin problems of death due to starvation and corruption started the process of revamping the department. The department with the help of Nation Information Centre (NIC), Raipur incorporated IT and different processes were computerized and were made web based to make the system real time.  The websites were also updated in real time. Modern IT infrastructure like high speed internet connection, VSAT at procurement and distribution centers and Global Positioning Systems for the trucks carrying ration were installed. At unreachable places and where the IT infrastructure could not be installed, a motorcyclist ran everyday between these centers and the nearest block headquarter. A toll free helpline was made available to get information and register complaints about the system. Now the beneficiaries also had option of registering their mobile phones for SMS which gave details of the truck and the ration being carried to FPS of their locality.

The government of Chhattisgarh has marked 7^th day of every month as the Chawal Utsav. The officers of the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation (CGSCS) have to ensure that the food grains reach the FPS at least one day before. The beneficiaries get the intimation through the SMS. The ration is carried in special yellow coloured truck of the department. This vehicle is welcomed even in the notorious naxalite affected regions. The rice and wheat are sold at Rs. 2/kg to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty line (APL) and at Rs. 1/kg to extremely poor people with a maximum limit of 35kg per ration card. Similarly, the beneficiaries also get sugar, kerosene at highly subsidized rate and iodized salt for free. The government is also planning to distribute gram (chana) at subsidized rate to the people, however, it is a pilot project stage.

A typical Chawal Utsav is a very special day for people specially the rural people. It is as good as any other festival. Elderly men, women, children and young boys and girls can be seen gathered at the FPSs. A small village haat can be seen at some of the places. People also carry out shopping on the day. The government also exploits the day to implement other welfare activities. Polio vaccination are given on the day. The day also contributes to maximum crowd at the Village Anganbadi Kendra.

The PDS model of the state of Chhattisgarh is now considered as the best in India and is a role model for other states. Secretaries and government officers of different states and also media people have visited Chhattisgarh and documented the system. The model is a perfect blend of supply chain, information technology and good governance & administration. It is now being adopted by other states in India. The CGSCS has won several awards in the last four years for governance, best practices, agriculture, consumer protection, best project and paddy procurement. It is now a topic of management study in leading business schools in India. Undoubtedly,  it is the flag bearer of good governance and public welfare.

Guns and Roses

It hurts. It hurts me deeply when I read about the Maoist activities in Chhattisgarh. Yesterday nine jawans of police including an ASP were killed by the naxalites in the Gariyaband area near the state capital Raipur. Not long back, but on 17^th of this month, they killed five CRPF men in the district of Dantewada. The very name ‘Dantewada’ brings back the memory of 6^th April 2010 when 75 CRPF policemen were massacred. The place has always been in news for negative reasons and brings Goosebumps to many.

I belong to the state of Bihar and having spent several years in Jharkhand, I can closely relate to the trouble Chhattisgarh is clutched into. All these states have naxalism as the single biggest threat to their administration, development and ultimately to the security. On 25^th May, 2011 Sushma Swaraj was to inaugurate “Chhattisgarh Chana Vitaran Yojna”, an ambitious scheme of Chhattisgarh government to provide gram at subsidized rate to its citizen. As a summer intern in the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (CGSCSC) I was to witness the ceremony and document it for my report. Now the event stands postponed due to the maoist activities in the Bastar region. Another colleague of mine from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur, who has also been interning with the state government and assigned to work for the health department in the region, briefed me about the condition of the affected southern districts of Chhattisgarh. Red rules the land and guns speak the loudest.

Before coming to Raipur, I had a preconceived notion that Chhattisgarh would be a land of forests, landmines and gunshots. Dantewada, like Jehanabad of Bihar was synonymous to naxalism. Chhattisgarh was in news mostly because of armed clashes & bloodsheds between police and Maoists and a few other issues revolving around naxalism like that of Binayak Sen. Many others living in metros and bigger cities still think the same about the state. But is it really a complete picture? Does it not just show the darker side of the face?

I first landed in Raipur during Durga Puja and my first reaction was “It does not seem to be a different world”. The very next day Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh was to inaugurate the Post Graduate Programme of IIM Raipur. While addressing, he talked about the opportunities in the state, about the unprecedented growth the state has achieved and is trying to sustain, about how the state has become a rice bowl and a power hub (in the literal sense) to the country. The state has been blessed to have a huge forest reserve and population density- one of the lowest in the country. He further asked us, the student community to work for the state and be a part of the success saga of Chhattisgarh. That was an inspiring moment. It is one of the reason, about twenty students have been doing their summer internship in different departments of Chhattisgarh State Government.

Chhattisgarh is now my second home. I love the culture, tradition and the food of the region. The people here are very simple & helpful. Simpler are the people from tribal region and I wish so could be the people in metros. The passion with which Durga Puja is celebrated, so are celebrated Eid, Christmas and Lohri. I have seen the jagaran of Goddess Durga on the streets, heard Christmas Carol in St. Peter’s Church and attended Qawwali for Khwaja Garib Nawaj at Ghadi Chowk Mosque. However, still the biggest religion is Cricket. The night India won the world cup, it turned out be a bigger Diwali and Christmas. People were out on road greeting each other, shouting slogans “Indiaaa….India” and dancing as if it was a baraat. Sound of victory trumpet and smell of joy filled the air.

The economic rise of the state is visible all around. The state government is taking all the efforts to attract industries. The roads are being widened and smoothened, water projects have been undertaken, more power projects are coming up and the policies are made industry friendly. Many world class educational institutes have been opened and some are in pipeline. The railway station and airport terminal are being renovated. International cricket stadium and also a state of the art indoor stadium are encouraging the sporting activities in the state. Chhattisgarh is to host the National Games of 2015. Several multiplexes and shopping malls have come up and many are under construction. “Naya Raipur” is going to be a planned city and shall be made the new capital of state. The mantralaya is to shift there in a few months. Six lane roads can be seen crisscrossing the area and colonies are being made. The city will not have any overhead wires and shall be a green city. However, the old Raipur shall have its own charm because of its past glory.

The state celebrated its 10^th birth anniversary a few months back. The extravaganza marked the rise of the state in such a short span of time. The government agencies have been organizing tourism fare and trade expo which attracts tourists and businesses from the world over. Chhattisgarh has many unique things which the world needs to know. The Chitrakote falls are the biggest in Asia in terms of volume of waterfall. Khairagarh Music University is the only university in Asia dedicated to art and music. Bastar region produces some of the finest metal work and wooden crafts. The state is a magnet to heavy industries like Iron & Steel, Thermal and Hydro Power and Cement Industries. Now BMWs, Audi and Harley Davidson are very common in the state. It is really an Credible Chhattisgarh in Incredible India.

As a part of student council, I have attended a seminar with the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretaries of State on “Role of IIM Raipur in overall development of State” and also been to some of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) seminars in Raipur. I can definitely say that the industries and government are working hand in hand for the growth of the region and are writing success stories for the state.

Definitely, it has been a troubling time for state. I wish the so called “naxalites” could be brought to the main stream and their intelligence network could be tapped for anti terrorist activities. After all, they are also the citizen of India and are some of us. I hope in the days to come pen becomes the mightiest and red belongs to roses. Amen.