New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Central government regarding making Aadhaar number mandatory for children to receive midday meal in schools.
The human resource development ministry had announced last week that the cook-cum-helpers working at the schools under the scheme as well as student beneficiaries will now be required to have an Aadhaar card to avail of the facility.
More than 100 million children will compulsorily need Aadhaar to avail of their meals from 1 July.
“The government should not deprive the children of the benefits of the scheme by making the Aadhaar card mandatory for availing of its benefits. We demand that it should not be forced on them,” AICC secretary Bhakta Charan Das said in New Delhi.
He said some 12 crore children are benefitting from the scheme and that their right to have nutritious food in adequate quantities should not be “taken away”.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had on Saturday slammed the Central government’s proposal to link Aadhaar card with midday meals and the Integrated Child Development Scheme.
In a series of tweets, Ms Banerjee had slammed the move while alleging that instead of supporting “the poorest of the poor”, the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre was “snatching away their rights”.
“Now even infants (0-5 years) will need Aadhaar cards? Aadhaar card for mid-day meals and ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme)? Shocking! 100 Days’ Work also not spared,” she had posted on the microblogging website.
Midday meal scheme (MDMS) is a Centrally-sponsored scheme to boost the universalisation of primary education by increasing enrollment, retention and attendance in primary and upper primary classes.
The programme has been allocated Rs 10,000 crore in the 2017-18 Union Budget, up by Rs 300 crore from the previous year.
With the second part of the Budget session slated to begin from March 9, the Opposition parties are preparing to raise the issue in both houses of Parliament.
