MDM: State To Continue Supply of Ragi Malt to Students for 3 More Years

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government would continue supply of Ragi Malt in the mid-day meal programme for students from Class I to XII in government and aided schools for three more years up to 2029.

The government signed a memorandum of understanding with Sri Sathya Sai Seva Trust to continue supply of ragi malt for these years as the present supply arrangement ended in April after its start in 2023 for three years.

Education minister Nara Lokesh has been monitoring the implementation of Mid-Day meal programme named after Dokka Seethamma, which provides rice prepared with a fine variety of rice of high nutritious value. With a change of menu, more students are taking the meal in the schools and colleges at lunch break.

Lokesh has been ensuring that the meal is prepared in a clean environment with good taste and having more nutritious value, officials said.

The MoUs have been signed between AP and the Trust in the presence of the minister for the 2026-29 period.

The menu is being implemented zone-wise and it will be having fortified fine rice, five times' egg a week, Chikki thrice a week. In the absence of chikki, ragi malt would be provided thrice a week.

On average, an amount of `1,850 crore is being spent on this by the state government. This is helping in more students to enroll in the educational institutions, an increase in attendance, a decline in dropouts and improved nutrition value for the meal.

The ragi malt is being supplied as a health supplement to students. Each glass of ragi malt will have 10gm of ragi flour and 10gm of jaggery powder mixed in 150ml of warm water. This is a nutrition supplement with calcium and iron.

The Sathya Sai Central Trust provides ragi flour and jaggery powder free of cost to the district centres. From there, it will reach schools through the civil supplies department. The cost would be about `80 crore for three years.