Delhi govt revamps mid-day meal menu, introduces millets

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) Seeking to make school meals more nutritious, the Delhi government has revamped its mid-day meal menu for the current academic year, introducing millet-based dishes, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the Directorate of Education (DoE), the revised menu will run on a six-day rotation and feature ragi and wheat flour halwa with masala chana, seasonal millet-based daliya, and so on.

The DoE has flagged food safety concerns in earlier incidents in which lizards, insects, fungus, or small animals were found in meals supplied by some NGOs.

Calling the mid-day meal scheme a sensitive matter involving children's health, the department said it reserves the right to terminate any agreement immediately if contamination is reported by school heads.

The Directorate has underlined that supplying organisations or NGOs must adhere strictly to the prescribed calorie, protein, and micronutrient norms and cannot alter the approved dishes.

The inclusion of millet-rich items is part of a broader effort to enhance the nutritional profile of meals provided under the scheme. These dishes, officials said, will be served alongside the regular wheat and rice-based preparations to maintain a balanced and varied weekly menu.

According to the DoE, meals in previous years largely consisted of atta or besan poori with aloo curry or mixed vegetables, poori with chholley, vegetable paushtik daliya, and rice served with chholley, sambar or kadhi.

NGOs also occasionally distributed seasonal fruits, kheer or biscuits.

Against this backdrop, the introduction of millet-based dishes marks a significant addition to the menu, the officials added. PTI SHB ANM ANM