KOTTAYAM: The office of the Governor P Sathasivam had directed the Edamalakudy panchayat to release funds for providing meals to students of the MG LP school, Mulakuthara, inside the Edamalakudy tribal settlement following the Deccan Chronicle report on September 9. The report titled 'No government funds to feed tribal students' had presented the plight of the tribal students going to the lone school they had access to in the Edamalakudy panchayat of the hilly Idukki district.
N. Visruthan Achary, a joint secretary, signed the order on Jan 17 on behalf of the Governor based on the decision of the coordination meeting on December 13.
The DC had highlighted the condition of 33 tribal students from Standard 1 to 4. Among them, 22 were girls. The order says that the government had decided to provide breakfast and dinner for them. The general education department currently provides them with lunch.
Philanthropists used to arrange breakfast and dinner earlier. After the gubernatorial order, the Edamalakudy panchayat began providing them with food regularly. P.K. Muralidharan, the teacher in charge, said the Maveli stores provides provisions and the panchayath foots the bill. The students belonging to the tribal settlements of Keezhpathamkudy, Iruppukalkudy and Mulakuthara under a residential program in a community auditorium.
