Unpalatable? Many students shun mid-day meals in state

Hyderabad: In a troubling trend, students across Telangana are increasingly rejecting mid-day meals provided under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme, citing concerns over taste and lack of menu variety. Of the 20.3 lakh students in 26,000 schools covered by the scheme, many are opting to bring food from home or go hungry rather than consume the meals provided.
‘Funding issues'
Syeda Sania, an intermediate student at a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Vikarabad, expressed her dissatisfaction with the food.
"Our local kitchens, which used to serve us meals, have shut down due to govt funding issues. Now, food comes from centralised kitchens. Our previous cooks made food we actually enjoyed." The premixed meals sent to over 15% of students from these centralised kitchens is being frowned upon for its taste. At a govt high school in Shankarpalle, Rangareddy district, teacher Mangamma claimed that even eggs are not being supplied on time. "There is no seriousness from the govt. The earlier kitchens run by school management committees were better, but today even snacks are not being provided to children."
The central govt's report from the ‘minutes of meeting of the programme approval board (PAB) for PM POSHAN in Telangana 2024-25' revealed that over 40% of students in several districts are not accessing mid-day meals.
"As a headmaster, I've seen that when centralised kitchen food was introduced, only 60 out of 300 students ate it ," said Chava Ravi of the United Teachers Federation. He suggested that local self-help groups take on cooking.
Preparing report: Official
In response to concerns, a senior official in state school education department stated, "We are preparing a report to address the figures mentioned by the central govt, which will be released soon."