Bhatti Slams BRS Over School Meals

Khammam: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday held the previous BRS government responsible for health issues faced by students in residential schools, attributing it to poor-quality meals stemming from unchanged mess charges for a decade.

He made these remarks after launching a revamped common diet menu at the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule BC Welfare Residential School in Bonakal, where he also joined the students for lunch.

Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief Minister stated that the former BRS government’s failure to increase mess charges over the last 10 years led to substandard food quality, ultimately affecting the students’ health. Contractors, he noted, resorted to supplying low-quality vegetables and groceries due to unpaid bills. Since coming to power, the Congress government has cleared these pending bills and increased cosmetic charges by 200 per cent, he added.

Bhatti challenged the moral standing of BRS leaders in criticising the Congress government’s efforts, pointing out that the current administration has already increased mess charges by 40 per cent to improve nutrition. The revised diet menu, he said, aligns with these enhanced charges. He warned that strict action would be taken against any responsible party if low-quality food is served, and urged officials to prevent adulteration and maintain kitchen hygiene.

Recalling budget allocations, the Deputy Chief Minister noted that the previous BRS government allocated merely Rs 70 crore for the management and construction of residential schools. In contrast, the Congress government has earmarked Rs 5,000 crore to establish Young India Integrated Residential Schools statewide. Foundation stones for buildings in 30 Assembly constituencies have already been laid, and the government plans to extend this initiative to all Assembly segments.

On staffing, Bhatti criticised the lack of a single DSC notification for teacher recruitment during the BRS’ 10-year tenure. The Congress government, he said, has filled 11,000 teacher posts within a year and will soon release another DSC notification for 6,000 more positions. Additionally, 56,000 appointment orders have been issued across various departments over the past year.