Breakfast for 27 lakh school children in Telangana is world’s largest initiative: DyCM
Hyderabad, Oct 6 (IANS) The breakfast scheme for 27 lakh students in government schools in Telangana is the world’s largest initiative, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said on Tuesday.
He said that providing breakfast every day to 27 lakh students is an initiative that does not exist anywhere else in the world and that Telangana is the first to implement such an innovative programme.
The Deputy CM said the nutritious food being provided to students should not be viewed as free, but as an investment in the state’s future human resources. He noted that only when children remain healthy and study well can they contribute significantly to the state’s future production and thereby support the growth of the GSDP.
Vikramarka and Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy laid the foundation stone for a centralised community kitchen to be constructed at a cost of Rs 9.6 crore at Munagala village in Kodad Assembly constituency of Suryapet district for school students.
Addressing a public meeting organised on the occasion, Vikramarka said the greenfield kitchen at Munagala would be equipped with modern technology and hygienic facilities to provide hot breakfast from a single kitchen to nearly 60,000 students studying in 1,020 schools.
He said breakfast was being provided six days a week to students studying in government schools across the state. Milk is being served on three days and ragi porridge on the other three days.
He said that while preparing food even for 100 people at home is difficult, providing breakfast simultaneously to 27 million students is an initiative that does not exist anywhere else in the world and is a reflection of the Telangana government’s humane approach.
The Deputy CM stated that children can grow into healthy human resources only when they receive adequate nutrition during their formative years. Therefore, the government has taken responsibility for providing quality food to children from poor and middle-class families from an early age and helping them reach higher levels in life.
Vikramarka, who is also the Finance Minister, said the welfare programmes being implemented by the government should not be viewed as freebies. He described the expenditure on the poor, farmers, women, and students as an investment that would ultimately benefit the state’s economy.
He said that when people remain healthy, children receive education, women achieve economic empowerment and farmers receive investment support, the productivity of the state increases. He stated that programmes such as Rythu Bharosa, free electricity, supply of fine rice, Rajiv Aarogyasri, free RTC bus travel for women, interest-free loans, fee reimbursement and Indiramma Houses are all aimed at enabling poor families to achieve economic progress.
He said that when people’s purchasing power increases, economic activity also grows, thereby contributing to the growth of the state’s GSDP.
–IANS
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