Mid-Day Meal Rankings Sparks Controversy; Experts Question It's Authenticity

"Ranking does not give any consideration to quality. It is all about high utilization of everything," a senior official of a southern state cited.

The basis of ranking had not been explained at all and such a ranking system could result in tempered reporting by states, exclaimed Sinha.

While it was pointed out that Karnataka, the first ranker included Mid day Meal (MDM) for children in drought affected areas in its overall statistics.

An official said, "MDM in drought areas have to be reported separately. Therefore, in Karnataka, utilization of cooking cost and foodgrain is more than 100 percent. It was even pointed out by the HRD ministry, but the state government did not remove it," reports TOI.

The states have been ranked based on the 15 parameters including number of beneficiaries reached out to, foodgrain utilization against allocation, payment to Food Corporation of India, utilization of funds, honorarium to cook-cum-helpers, monitoring and supervision, infrastructure and health.

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