Two months after SIT promise, Maharashtra govt forms bureaucratic committee to probe mid-day meal green peas scam

Mumbai: Two months after announcing a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, the state govt has formed a committee to probe the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana (mid-day meal) scam in schools where lower-quality peas were substituted for green peas. The committee is led by Secretary of School Education Ranjit Deol. It is tasked with inspecting suppliers, tendering processes and laboratory reports and submitting a report to the state govt in two months. There was an uproar in the budget session of the Assembly over the scam, and an SIT was announced, but now a bureaucratic committee has been formed.

“An issue was raised that Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana children were being given plain peas instead of green peas in mid-day meals to students in schools in the state. MLAs had demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. While making a statement, School Education minister Dada Bhuse had assured the House that an inquiry would be conducted at the secretary level. Accordingly, the matter of constituting a committee to conduct an inquiry was under consideration of the govt,” officials said.

The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana (PM POSHAN) Yojana, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, is a flagship scheme sponsored by the Centre. Its primary objective is to provide hot cooked nutritious meals to children studying in govt and govt-aided schools.

“The jurisdiction of this committee will be for the districts where complaints have been received, and it will investigate in other districts as required. To check the contract signed with the supplier district-wise. Samples of food grains submitted by the supplier during the e-tendering process and validated in the NABL-certified laboratory test report were sent to the respective districts by the Director of Education in Pune. To check whether the food grains are being supplied as per the contract in the district where the complaints have been been received,” a Govt Resolution (GR) said.

“Check whether payments for the supply of grain products are made at the district level, and check if payments have been made to the supplier who supplied plain peas instead of green peas. To investigate the scam and recommend action against the culprits,” the GR stated.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Bakrid wishes, messages and eid 2026