Unsuitable rice for schools sourced by WFP, not government: Minister

Yohan Perera and Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

Colombo, April 25 (Daily Mirror) - The rice distributed among schools said to be unsuitable for children's co consumption was provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) and not by the government, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha assured today.

Speaking in Parliament today, he said those packets of rice were provided additionaly by the WFP to support the government programme.

The government ensures that food distributed with government funds is suitable for children's consumption. Even after stocks of rice are distributed to Provincial Education Centres through the Director General  of Health Services, they advise regular quality checks with the assistance of Provincial Public Health Inspectors (PHIs), Minister Premajayantha said.

The government allocated Rs. 110 for each child, with additional funds coming from various sources. As a result, the Minister requested that the government-funded stocks of rice should not be mixed with those provided by the WFP programme.