Provide facilities for quality food in schools: CITU

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) The central and state governments should ensure proper infrastructure, kitchen sheds, potable water and cooking gas to see that school children get quality mid day meals, the CITU has said.

The CITU-affiliated All India Coordination Committee of Mid Day Meal Workers said the death of school children in Bihar exposed the "appalling levels of corruption at all levels" in the scheme.

A CITU statement also deplored "the deplorable infrastructure facilities, the inadequate fund allocations, and substandard food items for this most crucial central scheme, the Mid Day Meal Scheme".

"We demand that both the central and the state governments take necessary steps to strengthen the mid day meal scheme with proper infrastructure, kitchen sheds, clean drinking water (and) cooking gas, adequate funds for food and fuel and decent and hygienic working conditions for the mid day meal workers (cooks).

"Freshly cooked locally available, good quality food in necessary quantity must be made available to all schoolchildren up to Class 12."

The CITU called upon the 28 lakh mid day meal workers in the country "to ensure that the lacunae in the scheme are addressed by the authorities so that such tragedies are never repeated".