Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of the High Court has put an interim stay on the Maharashtra State Government’s notification dated October 14, 2024, related to the “Mid-Day Meal” scheme. The decision came after a petition was filed by Asha Mahila Bachat Gat (Navsari), Avishkar Social Welfare Foundation, and Rakt Ranjit Kranti Bahu-Uddeshiya Sanstha challenging the legality of the notification.
The High Court also issued notices to the Secretary of the Education Department, the Pune-based Education Commissioner, the Commissioner of the Directorate of Primary Education, and the Director of Education of the Independent Cell of the PM Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana, directing them to submit their responses.
The petitioners’ advocate argued that under previous notifications dated March 16, 2019, and May 13, 2022, the distribution of mid-day meals in schools followed a tender-based process, ensuring transparency and accountability.
However, the new notification replaces the tendering system and hands over the responsibility of preparing meals directly to school management, raising concerns over potential corruption and irregularities.
- The Court observed that sections (ii) and (iii) of the October 14, 2024 notification eliminate the tender process and instead allow local savings groups or societies to be assigned meal preparation without competitive bidding.
- It further noted that the state government altered the established tender procedure based on a few complaints, thereby centralizing authority within school management bodies.
- The petitioners had already qualified as successful bidders in the tender process for the 2024–25 academic year, and only the final agreement remained to be signed. The Court acknowledged that the new policy deprived them of this opportunity.
The Court stated that the revised notification disregards the accepted and regulated tender system, and therefore, ordered a temporary suspension of its implementation until the next hearing.
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