NEW DELHI: Idli-sambar is yet to be introduced in Delhi government schools as planned due to a lack of equipment, school representatives said.The dish was part of a revised menu announced for government school students in August.Implementing agencies were asked to introduce it by August 24, allowing time to arrange the required equipment and kitchen staff.Schools are meanwhile continuing to serve meals under the earlier menu, news agency PTI reported.A member of the Government School Principals’ Association said the revised menu was yet to be implemented as school kitchens lacked the equipment needed to prepare idlis.“Idli-sambar has not been introduced in our schools so far. The preparation requires specific equipment and the kitchens do not have the necessary arrangements in place yet. Until these facilities are available, it will be difficult for schools to serve the dish as part of the regular meal,” the member said.A School Management Committee (SMC) member of a government school told PTI that meals were still being served according to the old menu.“The food being served in the school is still according to the old menu. We have not seen the revised menu being implemented so far. Items such as aloo puri, curry rice, halwa and dalia continue to be served to students.”He said introducing new dishes across schools was a logistical challenge and required time to put the necessary arrangements in place.“Suppose an agency is catering to 10 schools with around 800 students in total. Introducing a new item is not simply a matter of changing the menu on paper. The agency has to arrange the required equipment and ingredients, plan the preparation and ensure that meals reach all the schools on time. Such changes need coordination and are a bit challenging,” the member added.Another principal of a government school in RK Puram, who is also a member of the association, confirmed that school canteens were not following the revised menu, PTI reported.A response from the directorate of education (DoE) on the implementation status of the revised menu was awaited.In August, the DoE issued an order revising the weekly menu under the PM-POSHAN scheme, introducing changes to meals served in government and government-aided schools.The department directed schools and implementing agencies to make the necessary arrangements, with idli-sambar to be introduced within two weeks.The revised six-day menu included poori with black chana gravy and mashed vegetables, idli with sambar, rice with chhole and mashed vegetables, poori with chhole and mashed vegetables, rice with dal, and rice with kadhi, PTI reported.The Meal Review Committee recommended the changes after reviewing the existing weekly menu, meal coverage, stakeholder feedback and implementation experience, according to the department.The revised menu also replaced ragi halwa with wheat flour and chana masala, and vegetable dalia with jowar and bajra.While most changes were to be implemented immediately, empanelled NGOs and centralised kitchen agencies were given a maximum of two weeks to operationalise idli-sambar, citing the need for specific equipment, specialised ingredients, dedicated infrastructure and trained manpower.The agencies were directed to ensure that idli-sambar was served no later than August 24.The DoE had clarified that agencies could serve different approved menu items in different schools on the same day, depending on ingredient availability and logistical requirements.However, all six days of the revised menu were required to be followed in every school.The department had also directed zonal and district education officers to monitor compliance, with inspections and random food sampling to continue to assess meal quality and nutritional adequacy.(With agency inputs)
