Several states, including those of Delhi and Chandigarh, have drawn flak from the parliamentary standing committee on human resource development reviewing the progress of flagship programmes like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), Mid Day Meal (MDM) and Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) over lack of coordination between implementing agencies and administrations, including the Centre, and discrepancies in data.
Pointing that lack of coordination has been observed at different levels and was also noticed in written feedbacks as well as during interactions with representatives of the authorities, the panel termed this a ?discouraging situation? and said the concerned authorities should have sorted this out long back as the schemes have been in operation for three years now.
The panel had pulled up the Chandigarh administration for discrepancies with regard to allocation and lifting of food grains under the MDM programme. It noted while the implementing authority said of the allocated 1222.03 mt of foodgrains for 2007-08, 1137.87 mt were lifted. Contrary to this, the Chandigrah administration in its report to the panel said that of the 1129.29 mt allocated, only 790.82 mt were lifted.
Slamming the Delhi government for insufficient supply of foodgrain under the MDM scheme and under utilisation of funds, the panel asked the government to state reasons for the wastage of foodgrain and the fact that while 26 suppliers were to cover 482 schools, only 11 were catering to 1,795 schools. While the ratio of number of suppliers and the schools is 1:18 in respect of NCR schools, it is 1:163 in MCD schools.
?How is one supplier catering to 163 MCD schools; the efficacy is doubtful and needs to be reviewed,? the panel, which submitted its report on Wednesday, asked seeking a note on the criteria for engaging suppliers and quality of food supplied.
On the implementation of the SSA in Chandigarh, the panel pointed that analysis of the gross enrollment ratio (GER) showed that in case of boys the GER at upper primary level has declined to 66.23% from 84.43% in primary level, while in case of girls the decline was marginal, from 73.82% at primary level to 69.58% in upper primary level. The figures are disturbing and it would be difficult for the UT to make progress with such low level of GER.
The panel also said Puducherry has ?failed to realise the benefit? of alternative and innovative education mode under the SSA. Of the targeted 1724 children, the UT could cover only 94 5.45% of the target under the AIE till March, 2007.