Infocus 4 January 2018

1.4 Proposed Measures by Akshaya Patra
While a promising programme, a few measures will ensure enabling adherence to the
global Sustainable Development Goals. Discussed below are some measures proposed by
The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
1.3 Challenges/Hurdles
In a diverse country like India, implementing
a programme of this scale is bound to
face certain challenges.
Funding
The National Plan of Action for Children
(NPAC) recommends that at least 5% of the
Union Budget be spent on schemes and
programmes directly related to children.
Budget 2017-18 saw a meagre hike of 3%
(i.e., 300 crore) with the total allocation
for the Scheme increasing from INR 9,700
crore (2016-17) to INR 10,000 crore.
Appropriate budget needs to be provided
for an efficiently run Mid-Day Meal
Programme. According to the World Bank
data (2012), India spends only 3.8% of
its GDP on education as against a global
average of 4.4%. Adequate funding and
its proper execution is required to ensure
sustainability of this programme.
In the Union Budget for 17-18, , the
Finance Minister announced the
withdrawal of Section 35AC of Income
Tax Act. The decision was made in order to
simplify in order to simplify tax laws and to
bring about transparency and clarity in the
income tax structure. The Government has
also initiated certain other reforms such as
the reduction in corporate tax for the next
four years.
Correspondingly, the Government has also
withdrawn certain tax exemptions and
deductions. Non-profits registered under
Section 80G of Income Tax Act continue to
provide 50% tax exemption.
Poor infrastructure
After the Supreme Court directive, proper
implementation of the scheme would have
seen a prudent study done before the
execution began. On-site cooking, while
appealing, lacked safety measures and
adequate infrastructure. Centralised cooking
required certain food safety, quality and
hygiene factors to be considered.
Lapses in reporting and monitoring
Lack of monitoring of quality and sufficiency
of food is observed on various fronts. In many
cases, the meals received are of low quality
and are insufficient for a healthy growing
child. Nutritional norms are not being met
where proper monitoring is absent.
Apathy towards the underserved
A general apathy and treatment of school
children as burdens is observed among many
Government and Government schools. This
might lead to negligence when it comes to
quality and safety of the food provided to the
children.
While many NGOs implement the
Government’s Mid-Day Meal Programme; a
prudent, robust and effective guideline for
functioning would add value to the scheme.
A strong directive for
selecting the NGOs to
become the implementing
arm of the Programme
Setting up effective food
safety standards and norms
International
Collaborations: Consider
partnerships and
co-operation programmes
with governments and
organisations of other
countries that have
developed technology and
expertise
Provisions for NGOs
to raise donations
from public and foster
community involvement
and provide guidelines to
ensure accountability
Provisions to enable
NGOs to avail exemptions
to bring clarity in claiming
cooking cost subsidies
Capacity building and
training, specifically
addressing the needs of
centralised kitchen staff
can be conducted for at
least twice every year
Inclusive participation
of NGOs in district level
Steering-cum-Monitoring
Committee and in Social
Audit Committee (SAC)
A robust Grievance
Redressal Mechanism
An effective feedback
mechanism
Monitoring and
evaluation (as required
for centralised kitchens)
on the part of the
implementing NGOs must
be a continuous process in
order to maintain quality
and safety
infocus | JANUARY 2018
Page 03 infocus | JANUARY 2018
Page 04