Patna: Authorities in Bihar have introduced stricter measures to regulate staffing under the state’s mid-day meal scheme, requiring vacancies for cooks and assistants in more than 71,000 elementary schools to be filled within a month.
The move aims to ensure uninterrupted delivery of meals to students by linking the number of appointed cooks directly to current school enrolment figures. Officials say preparations to implement the revised system are being fast-tracked.
Vinayak Mishra, director of the mid-day meal scheme, has instructed district programme officers to upload school-wise student data to the government’s e-Shikshakosh portal, which will be used to determine staffing needs.
Under the new rules, any delay of more than one month in filling vacant posts will trigger departmental action. District education programme officers will also be held accountable for such lapses.
Earlier guidelines issued in August 2013 stipulated that the number of cooks and assistants should be based on 85% of total enrolment. However, a partial amendment in September that year revised the benchmark to 75%.
Officials have now reiterated that vacancies arising from retirement, death or resignation must not be filled automatically. Instead, fresh calculations must be made based on current enrolment and prescribed norms, and appointments completed within the stipulated timeframe.
The directive is intended to prevent disruptions in the mid-day meal programme, a key welfare initiative, by ensuring adequate staffing at all times.
