260 self-help groups barred from supplying midday meal in Mumbai municipal schools

The education department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has blacklisted 260 self-help groups (SHGs), most of which are run by women, that provide midday meals to municipal schools citing “lapses” in their working.

In a letter dated June 26, the civic body informed these groups that their “services have been terminated after inspections revealed inconsistencies in the quantity of rice available in their kitchens.”

“After Thane police informed the civic body about the misappropriation of food grains provided to midday meal contractors early, the civic body inspected inventories of all self-help groups between January and March this year....Your organisation has thus been blacklisted from June 2019 to 2022,” the letter reads.

Midday meal suppliers alleged that the action has been taken to push small organisations out of the process and create a monopoly by big players. Bharat Kumar Pandey, education officer, BMC,

“The blacklisting has been done after some lapses were found against these groups. A decision on whether they will be allowed to participate in the fresh tendering process is yet to be taken.”