Hyderabad: Sabitha Indra Reddy, the education minister, along with Finance Minister Harish Rao, launched the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme at ZPHS, Raviryala, Thukkuguda Municipality on Friday.
Later, the ministers enjoyed breakfast with the students.
Under the scheme, students from Class 1 to 10 will have two meal options to choose from during school days. The menu includes dishes like Idly, Sambar, Pongal, Upma, and Chutney.
Speaking at the event, the Telangana Education Minister said that during his interaction with government school students, he found out that only 2 out of 10 students have breakfast daily. This scheme will help ensure that all government school students have nutritious food every day. Previously, the mid-day meal scheme covered students from Classes 1 to 8, but now it has been extended to include students from Class 9 and 10 as well, with an additional cost of Rs 137 crore. Copper jaggery is provided at a cost of Rs 32 crore to ensure that government school students receive food rich in iron and micronutrients.
The objective of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme is to tackle classroom hunger and promote regular school attendance. The implementation of the scheme will be closely monitored through a mobile app. The State government has allocated Rs 672 crore for this program, which will be implemented in 27,147 government schools and benefit over 23 lakh students in Classes 1 to 10. Students will be served a hot breakfast on their tables approximately 45 minutes before school starts.
Finance Minister Harish Rao mentioned that the primary aim of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme is to provide students with quality education and a nutritious start to their day. The scheme has been launched in a few schools and will be extended to all remaining government schools after the Dussehra vacations.
