Lunch to be served till class VIII

Encouraged by the success of the mid-day meal scheme till the primary level, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) is now working on an ambitious plan to expand it till class VIII.

Work on the plan has already begun and ministry sources said about one lakh schools are expected to be covered in the first phase of the scheme that will cost Rs 2,300 crore

“The money is for providing additional infrastructure like kitchens and increasing the allocation per student from Re 1 to Rs 1.50,” said an official. “If the statistics are looked into, one will find a sudden jump in the drop-out rate in class VI as compared to class V.

It is felt that this may be because no food is served in class VI,” an official pointed out.