Mangaluru: Sri Rama Vidya Kendra, Kalladka, and Sri Devi High School, Punacha, which had hogged the limelight after the state government stopped financial grants to these schools from the
Kollur Mookambika Temple, have now been covered under the Midday meal programme of the state government.
The cancellation of school adoption programme by the Kollur Temple had turned into an issue for political mudslinging by the BJP and Congress. The schools which are headed by
RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, had taken it as a challenge and pooled donations from the public to continue to provide free food to students. Now, based on the requests of the management, the government has brought both these schools under the ‘Akshara Dasoha’ scheme. Accordingly, midday meals will be provided to 908 students in Kalladka school and 127 students in Punacha school.
The previous Congress government had stopped the financial aid given by Kollur Mookambika Temple to Sri Rama Vidya Kendra, Kalladka, and Sri Devi Vidya Kendra, Punacha, institutes run by RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat in 2016. The then district minister
B Ramanatha Rai, who was also the MLA of Bantwal at the time, had justified the government’s decision.
Bantwal block education officer N Shivaprakash told TOI that the government has sanctioned midday meals to both the schools under the
Akshara Dasoha scheme. “The management of schools in Kalladka and Punacha had given us a request letter seeking inclusion of their schools under the Akshara Dasoha scheme. The request has been approved, and we have started supplying rice to the schools. Other items will also be supplied to the schools. Earlier, we had requested the schools to become a part of the Akshara Dasoha scheme,” he added.
Akshara Dasoha in-charge for Bantwal, Rajalakshmi, said the schools in Kalladka and Punacha had submitted requests in the end of May to be included for the scheme. “We have started supplying rice to the schools, and other items will also be supplied soon,” she added.
Cancellation of school adoption by the Kollur Temple had led to several protests, with the BJP and Congress locking horns over the issue. While students had held protests in Bantwal, BJP leader and MP Shobha Karandlaje had launched a ‘mane mane bhikshatane’ protest against the government. Shobha had requested women to donate a handful of rice, so that children studying in the two schools can have their midday meal.
Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat refused to comment on the issue. He said, “I am not talking to anyone on the midday meal issue.” Rai was unavailable for comment.