Minister for Social Justice Dhananjay Munde on Thursday announced the setting up of central kitchens to ensure safe, clean and nutritious meals in hostels for backward class students. The scheme will start from the coming academic year.
Replying to queries raised during Question Hour in the Assembly, Mr. Munde announced that the existing hostels will be upgraded which will ensure equal amenities to all students residing in it. “The upgradation of hostels will be done in such a manner that students in Mumbai or Pune, and those in interiors of Maharashtra will get equal amenities and benefits,” said Mr. Munde.
The social justice department will also be installing CCTVs in all the hostels to ensure security of girl students, he added.
Nagpur south MLA Mohan Mate had raised a question about the poor quality of food served at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar backward class hostel at Gaddigodam in Nagpur.
Mr. Munde said that the warden has been transferred and the food supplier changed.
Elaborating on the new proposal, Mr. Munde said, “The central kitchen will ensure better standard of food being served to the students. Decentralised kitchens create problems in supervising and monitoring the standards. If the kitchen is in one place, it will be easier to provide better quality food and also to monitor the process,” he said.