Mid-day meal impasse: Kerala govt assures high court to clear arrears soon

Kochi: The Kerala government on Thursday assured the High Court that it would soon pay the dues to government and aided schools to run the mid-day meal scheme.

Malayala Manorama was the first to report that the head teachers of schools in Kerala are yet to receive a whopping Rs 130 crore that they have spent on running the noon-meal scheme for students for the past three months. Of this, Rs 80 crore is the Centre’s share, while the state has to pay Rs 50 crore.

The government pleader informed the court that the issues between the Centre and the state with regard to the fund disbursal have been resolved. Hence, the state would pay the arrears soon.

The assurance came while the court was considering a plea filed by the Kerala Pradesh School Teachers' Association and the headmasters of certain government and aided schools alleging untimely and inadequate disbursal of funds under the non-meal scheme.

Teachers had threatened that schools would have to stop the scheme if the state does not disburse the arrears.

The plea also sought issuance of a direction to the Director of General Education absolving the head teachers from the responsibility of running the scheme, and to entrust the same with an independent agency.

(With Live Law inputs)