Lucknow, April 1 Orders have been issued to conduct an inquiry into the alleged corruption and irregularities prevailing in the Mid-Day Meal scheme across all madrassas receiving grants from the Uttar Pradesh government.
Director Monika Rani of the Uttar Pradesh Mid-Day Meal Authority issued orders in a letter sent to all district magistrates (DMs) across the state on March 23 to investigate the alleged corruption and irregularities prevailing in the Mid-Day Meal scheme currently operational in all 558 state-aided madrassas.
The letter, while attaching a complaint submitted on January 30 by UP All India Pasmanda Manch vice president Talha Ansari, directs that the details mentioned in the complaint be investigated and a report be submitted.
Ansari had levelled allegations of corruption within the Mid-Day Meal scheme in state-aided madrassas across various districts of the state.
Confirming this order, UP Minister for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari said that complaints had been received alleging that the quality of the afternoon meals provided to students under the Mid-Day Meal scheme in the government-aided madrassas across the state was substandard.
He emphasised that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath intends that no discrimination be practised against children in madrassas and that they receive both a good education and high-quality food under the Mid-Day Meal scheme.
Therefore, the minister said, if corruption is indeed occurring within the Mid-Day Meal scheme in the madrassas, it runs completely counter to the chief minister's vision.
Ansari affirmed that an inquiry would be conducted into the complaints regarding the poor quality of food being served to children in madrassas under the Mid-Day Meal scheme and strict action would be taken against anyone found guilty.
Responding to a query asking why an inquiry is being conducted across all madrassas if the complaints pertain only to a few specific institutions, the minister clarified that this is not an investigation into a specific financial scam but rather a general quality assessment of the Mid-Day Meal scheme itself.
He informed that the DMs have been directed to complete the inquiry and submit their reports at the earliest.
The complainant, Ansari, told