- India
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The state-run Midday Meal Scheme, which the government had said will continue in 51 drought-hit tehsils of Gujarat even during summer vacations in schools, has been discontinued from June 1. This is because the Revenue Department has not renewed the Drought Declaration Certificate, effective till May 31, for the 51 tehsils in 11 districts.
The Revenue Department had issued the certificate on October 30, 2018, while declaring moderate/severe drought in 51 tehsils of Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Bhavnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Kutch, Mehsana, Morbi, Patan, Rajkot and Surendranagar districts. Five of the 51 tehsils — Suigam in Banaskantha, Lakhpat and Abdasa in Kutch, Malia-Miana in Morbi and Shankheshwar in Patan — were declared severely affected by the drought.
Following this, a range of relief initiatives were started by the state government in the 51 tehsils. And one of them was to continue the Midday Meal Scheme in schools even during the summer vacation.
Since the drought certificate was effective till May 31, the office of the Commissioner, Midday Meal Scheme, issued a circular addressing the Collectors of those 11 drought-affected districts.
The circular said, “Currently, since no instruction has been received from the Revenue Department to extend the DDC, from June 1, 2019, benefits under (the) MDM Scheme and Doodh Sanjeevani Yojana in the above mentioned 51 tehsils will have to be stopped from June 1, 2019…”
In-charge Commissioner of Midday Meal Scheme in Gujarat, J D Desai, said the drought notification of Revenue Department expired on May 31, 2019. “The scheme will be continued from June 10 when the schools reopen.”