Medak Breakfast Programme Serves 20,000 Students Daily
A centralised kitchen in Medak has served breakfast to over 20,000 government school and junior college students daily during its first month.
A centralised community kitchen set up at the Medak market yard under the Telangana government's breakfast programme for government school students has completed its first month of operations, serving nutritious breakfast to more than 20,000 students every day.
Inaugurated by Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Vivek Venkataswamy on September 26, the kitchen is being operated by the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation India.
At present, 20,451 students studying in 238 government schools and five government junior colleges across Medak, Haveli Ghanpur, Eldurthi, Ramayampet and Papannapet mandals are being served breakfast daily.
The programme will soon be extended to all 11 mandals in the district, covering 395 schools and 10 government junior colleges. With the expansion, the number of beneficiaries is expected to reach 29,183.
District Collector Pratima Singh said the programme was helping improve attendance in government schools and create a positive learning environment. She said the government was focusing not only on providing quality education but also on ensuring that students received nutritious breakfast.
The menu, designed with the support of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), includes idli with sambar, puri with potato kurma, dosa with chutney, upma, millet idli and bonda. Hot milk is also served on alternate days.
Foundation representatives said the initiative had helped reduce student absenteeism and improve attendance. They added that parents had expressed satisfaction with the quality of food being served. The initiative aims to ensure that children do not attend school on an empty stomach, while improving their health, concentration and regularity in attending classes.