WB Mid-day meal scheme earnings in controversy over KMC audit

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme in West Bengal, a program designed to provide nutritious meals to schoolchildren, has once again come under scrutiny due to allegations of massive expenditure discrepancies. According to an internal audit report by the municipality, the cost of mid-day meals for municipal schools was found to be significantly higher than expected.

The audit report, which was published on March 30, revealed that various voluntary organizations were given Rs 93 lakh 62 thousand 548 to manage mid-day meals in the financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20. The senior audit officer who commented on the report expressed disappointment in the way the project was being run, especially since about one crore rupees were allocated to several voluntary organizations without any explanation.

The Kolkata municipality's education department is responsible for managing the mid-day meals of 253 primary schools and 81 children's education centers, but the task of cooking and distributing food to schools is given to various voluntary organizations.

The audit report shows that in the year 2018-19, the expenditure for running mid-day meals was expected to be Rs 74 lakh 36 thousand 230 in all schools, but Rs 1 crore 31 lakh 18 thousand 68 was shown. Similarly, in the year 2019-20, the total expenditure for the entire school was supposed to be 76 lakh 75 thousand 363 rupees, but it has been shown as Rs 1 crore 13 lakh 56 thousand 73.

The audit report for the financial year 2020-21 also revealed "irregularities" in the cost of mid-day meals. According to the report, various voluntary organizations are given a significant amount of money in advance by the municipal education department, but there is no record of how that money is being spent. The amount of that money is 40 lakh 23 thousand 157 rupees, and it was given in advance to voluntary organizations from 2018 to 2021.

The audit report also revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, items worth Rs 16 lakh 48 thousand were purchased for plate, glass, bowl, and sanitizer. The report has requested proof of tender, quotation, and approval of higher authorities for the purchase of these items. Abhijit Mukhopadhyay was the Mayor (Education) from summer 2018 to 2021, but he stated that he did not know anything about the account of mid-day meals.

The Education Officer at that time was Rumana Khatun, who is now working as a Manager at Purasvara Institute of Urban Management (IUM) but has not responded to requests for comment. Sandeepan Saha, the current Mayor Parishad (Education), has also not responded to requests for comment. However, BJP MP Sajal Ghosh has called for a proper inquiry into the mid-day meal scheme, stating that "the cat will come out" if the issue is properly investigated.