Telangana CM's breakfast scheme will be launched for schoolchildren on Dasara

HYDERABAD: The state government will launch a new scheme on October 24, commemorating Dasara, to provide free breakfast to government school students like the midday meals. Towards this GO MS. No 27 was issued on Friday, by Karuna Vakati, the education secretary.   

Named ‘Chief Minister’s breakfast scheme’, it will be extended to school children in Classes 1 to 10 across government and local body schools on all working days.       

It is aimed at increasing the nutritional value among school-going children. It is also expected that it would provide relief to working mothers.      

The director of school education has been asked to furnish a detailed action plan for the scheme’s successful implementation.

The decision evoked a mixed response. Mamatha Raghuveer Achanta, founder of the NGO Tharuni, welcomed the initiative. “Many students go to school on empty stomachs in the rural areas. The students depend on mid-day meals. The new initiative would help students in getting a healthy breakfast. The government should maintain the quality of breakfast,” Achanta said.  

Parveen Begum, a midday meal worker at a government school in Shamshabad, demanded that the government allocate the work of arranging breakfast to midday meal workers. "We are facing many issues with the government due to lack of funds," she said.