The Kerala High Court on Monday adjourned to October 16 hearing on a petition seeking a directive to the State government to pay headmasters of all schools the arrears of the amount spent towards the implementation of mid-day meal scheme.
When the petition filed by Kerala Pradesh Teachers’s Association and head masters of three schools came up for hearing, the court orally observed that the headmasters should not be burdened with making payments for the scheme, which are not their liabilities. The court pointed out that the budgetary allocation was sufficient for paying the amount due to them. The government could pay the amount without waiting for the release of the Centre’s share.
According to the petitioners, they had not been paid for providing mid-day meals to students. They spent money out of their pockets to feed the children, they said, and added that unless the amounts were given in advance, the scheme could not be carried forward. The scheme was being implemented with the assistance of the Central government, which provided 60% of the cost. The Centre had not released the funds as the State government failed to provide the statement of accounts for the money spent for the scheme.
