Inordinate delay in clearing mid-day meals agencies’ bills

Tandur:  There is an inordinate delay in releasing dues to the mid-day meals programme running agencies, which complain of provisional stores not selling goods on credit in the absence of clearing the bills. Bills to the catering contractors are due since one month in the last academic year so far during the current year. 

The contractors are finding it difficult to sustain the programme as shop-keepers are not coming forward to sell goods on credit. In Tandur mandal, bills pertaining to 41 government schools located in 25 gram panchayats are yet to be cleared. Also, honorariums payable to the agencies are also not cleared. Therefore, these agencies are borrowing funds on interest to sustain the programme. 

According to Urmila, who is running an agency to prepare mid-day meals programme, referring to inordinate delay in clearing the agency bills, said that cooking mid-day meals has become an arduous task with delay in clearing the bills in spite of preparing food as per the quality specifications. Another person who is also running a similar agency, Moulaan Bee said bills amounting to Rs 70,000 are yet to be cleared by the government.  She is not in a position to run the agency along these lines any further. Moreover, she complained of delay in payment of honorarium due to her for the past four months.