-Frontline In Rajasthan, the abysmal state of school education has forced pupils, particularly girls, to come out in protest against the shortage of teachers and lack of infrastructure. IT was just over a year ago, on Gandhi Jayanti 2014, that girls of the senior secondary school of the town of Bhim in Rajasthan went on strike. The young, fresh-faced and neatly groomed girls were far removed from anyone’s idea of potentially rowdy...

-The Times of India BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to overhaul the Midday meal scheme in over 65,000 schools in the state by this year end to ensure quality food for the mid-day meal. The state government has asked the state food safety commissioner to conduct laboratory test of food samples at least once a month. "Random samples will be collected from different schools at least once a month and will...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Children attend schools in larger numbers on days their Midday meal menu includes eggs, a central study has found in Bengal and Telangana. The findings of the 7th Joint Review Mission on the Midday meal scheme have bolstered the case for the inclusion of eggs - a nutritious and difficult-to-adulterate option - in the programme across the states. In July last year, the Union human resource development ministry had...

-PTI NEW DELHI: The Centre is expected to virtually eliminate the role of NGOs in preparing mid-day meal for children especially in rural areas, as per the new guidelines under the Food Security Act 2013. The government is expected to communicate to the states soon about the rules framed and ensure that NGOs have little presence in the scheme because the schools in rural areas are adequately supported for kitchens and other...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre has decided to stop reimbursing states for the unsubsidised cooking gas cylinders they are forced to buy for the school Midday meal scheme. A food security adviser expressed the fear that the Centre's decision may force states to fall back on firewood. But a former member of the National Advisory Council backed the decision, saying states should make use of the additional money they were getting...