Noon meal staff told to adhere to new norms

The government has now made it mandatory for noon meal centre organisers, cooks and their assistants to taste the food before serving it to the students, said V. Sampath, District Collector.

In the wake of recent incidents in Bihar and Neyveli, Mr. Sampath convened a meeting of the noon meal centre organisers and gave them elaborate guidelines for effective functioning of the centres.

For fulfilling the objectives of the noon-meal scheme which included nurturing the physical and mental health of the students, they ought to adhere to the well stipulated norms, he said.

Report promptly

It has been made compulsory for the organisers to report for duty at 9am and stay put at the centres till 2pm. They should leave the centres only after all the students took their meals and after getting the permission of the respective headmaster/headmistress.

Rice and sambhar should be served one after another and each student should be given a full boiled egg.

The eggs ought to be boiled at 70 degree Centigrade for 15-minute duration and only after removing the shell, it should be handed over to the students.

The rotten or spoiled eggs should be sorted out and duly disposed of.

The Collector put the onus on the staff on checking the quality of ingredients such as rice, pulses and vegetables. On no account cooking should be done under a tree or served to students under a tree.

Water stagnation in the vicinity of the centres should not be allowed. Indent for the month’s requirements of the essential commodities should be accurately prepared 45 days in advance and submitted to the respective Panchayat Union offices. Above all, the staff should keep the samples of the food prepared for the day in glass containers and it should be disposed of only on the next day.

Asking the staff to follow these guidelines scrupulously, he warned that any minor lapses on their part would attract disciplinary action.