New Delhi, Mar 21 (IANS): Congress member K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday urged the government in the Lok Sabha not to make Aadhaar card mandatory for students to avail of mid-day meals.

"There are complaints against the quality of rice, no proper space for serving food," Venugopal said raising the issue during the Zero hour in the Lok Sabha.

"The situation has further worsened after the Ministry of Human Resource Development directed that cooks working under the mid-day meal scheme will now require an Aadhaar card," Venugopal said.

The ministry recently announced that cook-cum-helpers working under the scheme as well as student beneficiaries will now be required to have an Aadhaar card to avail the facility.

There are some 12 crore children enrolled under the scheme, the Lok Sabha member said.

"The government should not deprive children by making the Aadhaar card mandatory," he said.

The mid-day meal scheme (MDMS) is centrally-sponsored to boost the universalisation of primary education by increasing enrolment, retention and attendance in primary and upper primary classes.