Stop caste discrimination in midday meal: Panel

NEW DELHI: For the second time in two weeks, the parliamentary committee on the welfare of SCs/STs has come down heavily on the HRD ministry for its failure to curb discrimination against dalit children in the mid-day meal scheme in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
On Wednesday, the parliamentary panel headed by BJP’s Faggan Singh Kulaste asked HRD to send its own team to MP and Karnataka and furnish a report by January 10 next year.During the meeting, a senior ministry official told the panel that HRD regularly sends out advisories to states that there should be no caste discrimination in the distribution of mid-day meal. Panel members said since advisories have evidently not worked, ministry needs to take a more proactive stand. “We know how state governments treat advisories. HRD ministry should send its own team for investigation and bring this to everyone’s notice,” a panel member said. Another member of the parliamentary committee said, “Such blatant caste discrimination has made India a laughing stock in the world.”
In Madhya Pradesh reports of discrimination has been reported from 12 districts like Bhind, Chhatarpur, Harda, Hoshangabad, Khandwa, Mandsaur, Morena, Narsinghpur, Rewa, Sagar, Sehore and Satna. In Sehore district there was complaint that plates of dalit children were marked so that food is not served to upper caste children in those plates. Though Madhya Pradesh government denied any discrimination, HRD sources said there is incriminating evidence.
In case of Karnataka, state government admitted that in schools of Mysore district some students were bringing lunch box from their houses. The problem was noticed by district administration and local leaders were roped to convince parents to send their children to school and avail mid-day meal. State government said religious leaders were also involved to solve the problem of discrimination.
In its previous meeting, parliamentary panel had pulled up the ministry for incorrect data on SC/ST children enrolment in Kendriya Vidyalayas.