• An inspection team of the Karnataka government pays a surprise visit to Thottadhagudathahalli primary school, located on the outskirts of Bangalore, and detects discrepancies in the rice and oil stocks meant for students' meals.

• Less than 2 kilometres away, at the Sidedahalli government primary school, 45 students and two teachers share space with sacks of rice and bags of vegetables in a cramped room. The open verandah serves as a makeshift kitchen.

These two instances typify the unappetising state of the midday meal scheme (mms) for children studying in government and government-aided primary schools of Karnataka. Rather than devising a corrective plan, local authorities are set to dish out more of the insipid fare by bringing the higher primary section (up to viith standard) within the programme's ambit from the next academic year.

To its credit, the state government has tided over teething troubles that it encountered when mms was introduced in Karnataka. But the larger issues of infrastructure and implementation remain unresolved.

The scheme, called Akshara Dasoha locally, covered seven districts of northeast Karnataka in the initial stage. It was launched in the state in compliance with the Supreme Court directive of November 28, 2001. As per the order, children in state-run primary schools were to be given a prepared midday meal for a minimum of 200 days in a year. The apex court also prescribed the nutrition amounts: at least 300 calories, and 8-12 grammes of protein each day of school. In July 2003, the Karnataka government extended mms to the rest of the state.

From the outset flaws have shown up in the programme. In July, more than 250 students