Sasaram: The midday meal scheme has been disrupted in several govt primary and middle schools in Rohtas and Kaimur districts due to delayed payments to vendors, forcing thousands of students to go without meals. Vendors have stopped supplying foodgrains and other essentials as their dues have remained unpaid for months.According to education department records, vendors across Bihar are awaiting nearly Rs 1,600 crore in pending payments. Headmasters said vendors had stopped supplying foodgrains and other essentials because their dues had remained unpaid for months. The problem is more acute in Kaimur, where some schools have also been hit by a shortage of water.According to the district education department, meals were not served in 22 schools in Kaimur on Thursday. Of these, 19 schools were affected by the suspension of supplies, while three could not prepare meals due to lack of water. Officials admitted that payments to vendors have been pending since May.Rohtas district programme officer (midday meal) Ravi Kumar Raushan said, “The education department is aware of the situation and efforts were being made to address it. We are trying to persuade headmasters to manage the situation as payments to vendors are under process.”The disruption comes despite govt instructions that the midday meal scheme should not be stopped under any circumstances. The scheme, which aims to provide nutritious food to children and encourage school attendance, covers around 1.10 crore students in govt schools across Bihar.Under the scheme, govt provides Rs 10.17 per student in middle schools and Rs 6.80 per student in primary schools for meals, along with Rs 5 every Friday for an egg and seasonal fruit. However, several headmasters, requesting anonymity, said the amount was insufficient. They pointed out that an egg costs about Rs 10 and even a single seasonal fruit often exceeds Rs 4, making it difficult to meet the prescribed menu.Concerns have also been raised over rice supplies. Headmasters alleged that schools requiring 50 kg of rice often receive only 42 to 44 kg. Despite repeated complaints, they claimed, no lasting solution has been found and schools are often asked to manage the shortfall.In Rohtas, the scheme is implemented in 2,047 schools, while officials said midday meal preparation has been disrupted in 113 schools across Rohtas and Kaimur. In several Kaimur schools, rice stocks have been exhausted.At Sugiya Pokhar Primary School in Bhagwanpur block, headmaster Pravez Alam said he borrowed 20 kg of rice from a nearby Anganwadi centre on Thursday to ensure meals could be served. “The department has been informed, but if fresh supplies do not arrive by Monday, we will have to stop serving meals,” he said.Bhagawanpur block midday meal in-charge Babu Dhan said students at six of 82 schools were not receiving meals, adding that the scheme was gradually heading towards suspension at the remaining schools.Headmasters of several other schools in Bhagwanpur, including schools at Padauti, Bajardiha and Upgraded Middle School Gaura, also expressed concern over the availability of rice.They warned that prolonged disruptions could affect attendance, as many parents send their children to govt schools partly because of the midday meal programme. The continuing shortages have raised questions over the monitoring of foodgrain allocation, distribution and the timely release of vendor payments.
