Minister for Education R. Kamalakannan on Saturday said there was no need to be apprehensive about the government move to hand over noon meal scheme to a non-governmental organisation.
Talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the inaugural of a science fair organised by Petit Seminaire Primary School here, the Minister said the government would adhere to the commitments made in the Assembly on the agreement signed with Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit wing of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) for supply of nutritious mid-day meals to over 50,000 students studying in 300 government schools in Puducherry.
Committed to agreement
“Since the organisation only provided vegetarian menu, the government has decided to continue with supply of eggs to the students. We have made an assurance on the floor of the house and the commitment will be adhered to,” he said.
The Minister was responding to the criticism levelled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on the move to enter into an agreement with Akshaya Patra. The party had asked the government to pull out of the agreement as the organisation provided only vegetarian menu.
The Minister said the Education Department would select three students to be part of the Young Scientist Programme planned by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
The space agency had planned to train three students from each State on how to build a satellite, he said.
Former Deputy Director, ISRO Satellite Tracking and Command Network, Raghunath Radhakrishnan, said the students should go beyond their text books to have a better understanding of science.
Students should cultivate the habit of comprehending the subject in a better way.
“Science does not end with reading,” he said, adding that students should try to imbibe the subjects that they have read.