Bengaluru: If everything goes as per plans, the new year is expected bring cheer to hundreds of poor students studying in government colleges in the city.
According to sources in the higher education department, the Akshaya Patra foundation in the city will soon start supplying mid- day meals to college students for just Rs 5 and will bring joy to hundreds of students in government colleges.
The Akshaya Patra foundation will supply mid-day meals to college students in line with the scheme already in place in the primary and secondary schools, but it would not be free.
Instead students will need to pay Rs 5 per meal.
A meal is expected to cost around Rs 13 to the Akshaya Patra foundation and the remaining amount would be paid by the State Government. The college staff would be given a meal for Rs 15. It would be launched on a pilot basis in city government colleges.
Generally those who join the government colleges are from financially weaker families and they are not in a position to pay Rs 20 or Rs 25 per meal at hotels.
“This new scheme is expected to bring financial relief to students”, said an officer.
“The number of beneficiary colleges are yet to be finalized, but three colleges of the Central Business District (CBD) Government Science, Arts and Commerce colleges will be included in the first phase,” said sources.
According to officials, it was Dr. N. Prabhudev, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Bangalore University who had pioneered the scheme in the university campus.
“According to the feedback we received two years ago, following Dr.N Prabhudev’s decision to introduce a mid-day meal scheme, the problem of hunger was almost solved in the university campus. Students were supplied with high quality hygienic food by the Akshaya Patra foundation. The same would be extended to the colleges,” he explained.
No extra burden
“Akshaya Patra foundation will be given the responsibility of both supplying and serving of the food. So it will not be an extra burden to the government,” he said.
