Hyderabad,June 2: Students studying Intermediate courses (Class 11 and 12) in government and government-aided junior colleges in Telangana will soon receive free breakfast and midday meals. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will officially launch the scheme on June 12.
While several states already provide free midday meals to school students, neighboring Andhra Pradesh has extended the midday meal scheme to Intermediate students as well. However, Telangana is set to become the first state to provide both breakfast and lunch to students in this category.
According to state officials, the scheme has been designed based on recommendations from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). The initiative has been introduced keeping in mind the nutritional needs of economically weaker students studying in government and aided colleges.
On the first day of implementation, around 42,250 students are expected to benefit from the scheme. Once colleges reopen fully and attendance becomes regular, nearly 1.92 lakh students are expected to receive breakfast and lunch every day under the program.
The state government has allocated ₹80 crore for breakfast and ₹100 crore for midday meals. The government stated that the scheme will particularly benefit students from economically weaker sections, SC/ST communities, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and those at risk of dropping out after school education.
The breakfast menu will include items such as dosa, idli, vada, puri, upma, and chutney. In addition, students will also be given 150 ml of milk on alternate days.
Leave a Reply