The Delhi High Court has ruled that an entity supplying rotten chana (chickpeas) in mid-day meals given to school children under the PM-POSHAN Scheme cannot be allowed to continue providing food items, as it tarnishes the noble cause initiated by the government to encourage children to attend schools.
Justice Subramonium Prasad, while hearing a petition by the Food and Beverage Foundation Society challenging its debarment from supplying mid-day meals, observed that such incidents bring a "bad name" to the scheme and negatively impact the future of the country, represented by the children.
The court was dealing with a case in which the society was accused of supplying sub-standard food items, including rotten chana and dalda (a vegetable oil), to a government school as part of dry ration kits during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the allegations, the Directorate of Education debarred the society from supplying mid-day meals to any school under the Delhi government.
The court upheld the seriousness of the allegations and emphasized that ensuring nutritious meals for children is crucial for their development. Justice Prasad stated that the supply of rotten chana and vanaspati (dalda) cannot be condoned, and those indulging in such activities should not be permitted to continue supplying food items under the PM-POSHAN Scheme.
The court also addressed the petitioner's argument that the chana packets were opened seven months after delivery, raising doubts about rotting. The court took judicial notice of the fact that Chana cannot rot in seven months and found no reason to doubt the receipts showing the supply of Chana to the school.
Furthermore, the court clarified that the standards set under the PM-POSHAN Scheme for cooked meals should also apply to ration kits. It urged authorities to ensure the effective discharge of duties concerning the health and well-being of children, given the significant impact of their actions on the public good.
The court remanded the matter to the authorities to specify a time limit for the society's debarment from supplying mid-day meals.
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