Karnataka plans midday meals for pre-primary students

The Karnataka government plans to extend its midday meal scheme to pre-primary students, specifically those in LKG and UKG classes, starting next academic year. The state’s school education department will propose this change to the central government at an upcoming meeting in New Delhi. Currently, midday meals are provided to students from classes 1 to 10. The initiative for pre-primary classes began in 2023, and there are now about 2,619 pre-primary schools serving around 90,000 students. In the recent budget, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced plans to establish an additional 2,000 pre-primary schools, which could bring the total number of kindergarten students to about 200,000. Presently, these pre-primary schools do not receive separate funding or meals. Schools are managing by sharing excess food from the main midday meal program. One headmistress mentioned that they often share food provided by a charity called Akshaya Patra. Under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme, the cost of the meals will be split between the central government, which will cover 60%, and the state government, which will handle the remaining 40%. The commissioner of the school education department confirmed the proposal will target around 200,000 children, with a current meal cost of Rs 9 per child. Additionally, in response to rising concerns about childhood obesity, the department plans to inform all schools about a new directive to reduce cooking oil usage in meals by 10%. This change follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's discussions on health during public talks. The department will offer guidance on implementing healthier meal practices and raising awareness among families and educators.