Shillong, Mar 26: The state government has directed all the schools availing the mid-day-meal scheme, to distribute the food grains to their respective students.

In a notice issued here on Thursday, Director of School Education & Literacy, A Ch. Marak informed that the cooking cost has already been released to all the schools for a period of 90 days on January 9, for a period from the date of opening of schools which is February 15, onwards.

Marak said that the food grain has already been lifted by the respective wholesalers and released to the schools which will be sufficient till end of April.

“All the schools are therefore directed to distribute the food grains to the students through their parents who may be asked to collect the food grains from their respective schools,” he said.

The school managing committees (SMCs) are also directed to release the cooking cost to the children in cash through their respective parents the amount of which has already been released to them, the director said while asking the SMCs to strictly comply with the order or face stringent penalities in accordance with the law.