An increase of 9.6 per cent in the material cost of the midday meals for students up to Class VIII, announced by the Centre on Friday, which in real terms amounts to far less than Re 1, has angered many teachers in Bengal who implement the scheme on the ground.

These teachers, who are mostly heads of different institutions, alleged that the hike in material cost was too “meagre” to meet the nutrition needs of children under the mid-day meal programme now officially called Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM Poshan) meant to give one hot cooked meal at government and government-aided schools across the country.

Many teachers in the state termed this paltry hike “ridiculous” and a “mockery” of students’ nutritional needs.

They demanded more funds in view of the “steep hike” in the prices of cooking gas, pulses and vegetables.

If no extra funds come, many teachers simply want the state government to take up the “onus directly” so that they can wash their hands of the job of serving midday meals. The midday meal scheme caters to 11.8 crore students in India.

On Friday, after a gap of two years, the department of school education and literacy (PM Poshan Division) of the education ministry announced the hike with effect from October 1.

Under it, the per-head material cost for each student in primary level is up from Rs 4.97 to Rs 5.45 (48 paise) and for each student in upper primary level from Rs 7.45 to Rs 8.17 (72 paise) in non-NER (non-northeast region) states and Union territories with legislature.

“This is a ridiculous hike. I doubt if the people who took this decision have any knowledge of the prices of essential commodities,” said a headmaster in Calcutta who did not want to be named.

“An egg costs Rs 6 today... how can the government expect us to serve a nutritious meal just at Rs 5.45? Serving midday meals is a burden for us which we take up to save our jobs,” the head teacher further said.

He added the minimum material cost per midday meal of a student should be Rs 10.

Last year, the Union education ministry set up a committee to review the cooking cost of midday meals and chalk out a methodology for revision. The committee had members from the department of school education and literacy, the National Institute of Nutrition, the ministry of labour, and others, which announced the hike on a twin-sharing basis.

The per head cost of the midday meal includes the contribution of central and state governments at a 60:40 ratio.

This means that out of Rs 8.17 allocated for students in the upper primary section, Centre will pay Rs 4.90 and the state Rs 3.27. For primary students, the Centre will bear Rs 3.27 and states Rs 2.18 of the allocated amount of Rs 5.45.

For the last couple of years, many teacher organisations and food rights activists across the country have been demanding more funds for the midday meal scheme because of the soaring prices of essential commodities.

Chandan Maiti, secretary of the Advanced Society for Headmasters and Headmistresses, who is also headmaster of Krishnachandrapur High School in South 24-Parganas, said: “We have been urging both the Centre and state for a long time to increase the per head cost of the mid day meal. We have demanded that the per head cost should be at least Rs 10 to ensure a nutritional meal according to the prescribed weekly food chart. But, neither the Centre nor the state government have responded to our appeals.”

He added that they had hoped for a better hike this time.

“The nutritional needs of students suffered badly amid the Covid pandemic despite the government's initiative to distribute dry midday meals,” Maiti said, explaining why more funds were needed for nutritious meals for children right now.

Senior teacher and All Bengal Teachers Association (ABTA) state secretary Sukumar Pyne agreed with Maiti.

“Both the Centre and state governments should reconsider the per head cost of midday meal realistically,” Pyne said.

School Teachers Federation of India, a Left-leaning platform of which Pyne is the joint general secretary, has also appealed to the Centre for a realistic hike.