The Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari has discussed the implementation of Friday’s Cabinet decision to extend the mid-day meal scheme to about five lakh students of government junior and degree colleges.
The committee comprising Ministers Eatala Rajender, T. Harish Rao, and Indrakaran Reddy met in the chamber of Mr. Srihari at the Secretariat on Saturday and noted that Telangana would be the first state to extend the mid-day meal scheme to college students. As part of the programme, they discussed the modalities for extending the scheme to students of government junior, model junior, B.Ed, and D. Ed colleges through NGO Akshaya Patra.
Three options
The committee wanted Akshaya Patra representatives to come out with three proposals to provide food of good quality and with nutrient values to students. The options are: Government would give all commodities required to provide the meal to the five lakh students, Akshaya Patra itself would procure all the commodities and provide the cooked food and, third, to provide meal like Pulihora, upma, and other varieties, using millets like jowar, ‘ragulu’, ‘sajjalu’, ‘korralu’’.
The committee also suggested that Akshaya Patra foundation members set up kitchens and basic amenities in all the 31 districts to provide mid-day meal to all government colleges in time. Apart from the foundation, the committee felt, messes, and hotels in the vicinity of government colleges could be considered for supplying mid-day meal to the students. The committee decided to get information related to this at the state level and discuss it at the next meeting in the third week of August.
The committee also asked the Akshaya Patra Foundation to come out with its proposals on the three options for supplying mid-day meal to students at the next meeting.
The meeting was attended by Special Chief Secretary, Education, Rajeev Acharya, Intermediate Board Secretary Ashok, and Rashtriya Madhyamika Shikshana Abhiyan Director Ramesh.