With the success of centralised kitchens and co-operative societies in providing mid-day meals to primary students in Government schools, the Rajasthan Government is now focusing on decentralised kitchens—a model designed for schools in the rural areas. Decentralised kitchens are smaller kitchens constructed in or near the school premises in rural areas.

Decentralised kitchens—with raised platforms and units and proper ventilation—have been developed to ensure warm and fresh food for students. But the primary aim of these kitchens is to ensure that the food is cooked under a roof rather than out in the open. The idea is to enhance infrastructure, thus improving the quality of food being provided to students in rural areas.

In phase I of the project, over 30,000 small kitchens have been constructed across 32 districts of Rajasthan, while the construction of 8,000 kitchens is underway. The kitchens have been constructed at a cost of Rs 203 crore. While the funds for setting up of 8,000 kitchens have come from the Centre, the state Government has spent on the construction of the remaining kitchens.

Presently, Barmer district has the most number of decentralised kitchens, 3,340, of which 3,009 are operational and 331 are under construction. Jodhpur is next with 3,001 kitchens and Bhilwada has 2,935. The project will ensure that all schools in rural areas are covered under this scheme.

“Centralised kitchens cater mainly to schools in the urban areas, whereas decentralised kitchens are for those in the rural areas. Transporting food to these schools is not feasible and it is time consuming,” said Sudhashu Pant, Commissioner, Mid-Day Meals.

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