The breakfast scheme introduced in over 300 government schools in Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Assembly Constituency, Kodangal, has shown great results. Student attendance has increased significantly as a result of this initiative. The program, run by the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation (HKMCF), provides nutritious meals to students, helping them stay healthy while also easing the burden on poor families.
This scheme serves as a model for other regions to follow in all government schools across Telangana. Currently, around 28,000 students from 312 schools in Kodangal, Bomraspet, Dudyal, and Doulatabad mandals in Vikarabad district, as well as Gundumal, Kosgi, Kothapally, and Maddur mandals in Narayanpet district, benefit from the program. The food is prepared in a central kitchen, which was launched in December last year. Since then, the daily attendance of students has significantly improved, and the scheme has received positive feedback. Experts believe this initiative could also lead to an increase in school enrollments.
Officials mentioned that the centralised community kitchen is equipped with advanced technology, making food preparation quick and efficient. For example, rice for 1,000 students can be cooked in just 15 minutes, while sambar for 5,000 students takes only two hours to prepare. The idli-making machine produces about 1,020 idlis in 15 minutes, and the puri-making machine can make 2,000 puris in an hour.
This kitchen is a joint effort between the government of Telangana and various well-known organisations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The Telangana government provided 22,000 square feet of space at its agricultural market yard in Kodangal for the centralised kitchen. The menu is carefully designed to provide students with essential nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Each day of the week, students receive a different meal, including idli with sambar on Monday, poori with aloo kurma on Tuesday, and millet idli with sambar on Thursday.
According to reports, expanding this initiative across Telangana would be highly beneficial. Experts suggest that if the state government implements this program under various CSR initiatives, it could have an even greater impact. The HKMCF, a registered trust initiated by the Hare Krishna Movement – Hyderabad, has been actively working in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The trust’s mission is to ensure that no one within a 10-mile radius of their center goes hungry. Over the past 11 years, they have provided around 16 crore meals, helping millions of people.
