Smart Central Kitchen For School MDM Scheme In Kadapa

Anantapur:A smart central kitchen matching the ones in star hotels has been arranged for the mid day meal programme in Kadapa, with a personal donation from Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.

The meals are arranged ifor school children under the Dokka Seethamma Madhyahna Bojana Pathakam initiative.

The sophisticated kitchen would supply food to 2200 students across 12 government schools in the region in hygienic conditions and with good quality by also ensuring a fair mix of nutrients.

The concept of having a smart central kitchen was unveiled by the Deputy CM during the mega parents-teachers meeting held in Kadapa in 2024. This, after he noticed the poor hygienic conditions in which the cooking was done for the MDM at the government schools.

Kalyan noticed at that time that the food was being cooked with firewood and its quality was poor under Dokka Seethamma Mid Day Meal programme. He promised to establish a smart central kitchen and to donate the entire funding for this.

Kalyan’s modern kitchen took shape within a year. Kadapa collector Sridhar Cherukuri ensured the start of the first such smart central kitchen by the start of the new academic year. A separate building was constructed for the smart kitchen in the municipal school premises in Kadapa town.

The smart kitchen with modern equipment also stipulates a dress code for its staff. A bulk cooking area is supplemented with a storage room, a grinding area, a vegetable cutting area, a fruit and onion store, a pot wash system, all similar to those in star hotels.

The transport vehicles reaching the food to various schools are equipped with a mobile tracking system. A mobile app would monitor the kitchen and supply of mid day meal to the children, the collector said.

A 3kw solar power generation unit was also set up at the centre. The vegetable waste, unused food etc are converted into methane gas through bio degradation system and the gas is used for the cooking.

The workers were trained by nutrition specialists about proper use of food without losing their nutrients.

Kavya Sri, a 7th class student of Akula Veedhi in Kadapa, expressed her happiness about the rich quality of the food and said it was more tasty than the food at her house. “Previously, we were not having a mid day meal. Now, we are getting it in the school premises,” she said.

Sheik Md Mohir Bhasha of Pedda Darga area, studying in the 8th standard, said, “I am happily having my mid day meal throughout the week,” and thanked the deputy CM for his generous help for this project.

The collector said more smart kitchens would be set up in the district and all schools would be covered in a phased manner.