New Delhi, July 29: Schools in Bengal feed primary students meals cooked from rotten vegetables and poor quality rice, and some send them home once the meal is over, a report by the Union government has revealed.

The study ranks Bengal behind Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan — traditionally poor performers in socio-economic indicators — in implementing the scheme aimed at combating malnourishment.

“What is most shocking is that Bengal finds itself at the bottom of the pile with laggards like Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir,” said an official of the ministry of human resource development, which commissioned the study.

Over 92 lakh children in Bengal are covered by the midday meal scheme. Researchers from Visva-Bharati surveyed schools in the state.

Vegetables procured are often rotten, something that is believed to be an outcome of the “complete lack” of co-ordination between schools and self-help groups enlisted by the government to implement the meal scheme.

The “self-help” groups “probably” procure the substandard food in exchange for kickbacks from suppliers.

Under the scheme, grains are supposed to be procured from Food Corporation of India depots only. The researchers, however, found that local ration shops, not always recognised by the Centre-run corporation, are often the providers. “Food grains, mainly rice, supplied by local ration shops are of bad quality,” the study says.

The school chefs appear to cook well, though; students are mostly “satisfied” with the taste. But the report expresses concern at the “virtual absence” of health check-ups conducted for students and the lack of micro-nutrients in their food.

The meals appear to be working as an incentive in bringing children to school. In fact, the researchers found “several cases of underage and overage students attending school just because of the meal”. But the problem is that many schools “discontinue classes after serving the mid day meal”, undoing much of the positive impact of the scheme.

Ashoke Maity, the state education department joint secretary in charge of the meals, confirmed having received the report. “It is not true that mid-day meals are cooked with rotten vegetables in all schools across Bengal, “ he said.

“There could be stray complaints but the overall standard of the food served to the children is good and the state maintains the necessary vigil to ensure quality,” he added.