Karnataka launches state-wide Annapoorna Morning Nutrition Programme in all government schools

Karnataka launches state-wide Annapoorna Morning Nutrition Programme in all government schools. (Creative Commons)

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, 26 February, launched a state-wide Annapoorna Morning Nutrition Programme in all government schools.

The programme is a brainchild of Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai, with the motto — ‘Let no child go to school hungry ever!’ according to officials.

According to Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust, Karnataka has been the hub of Annapoorna’s services for the past nine years, and what started with just feeding 50 children in the state, growing in phases to about 3,62,243 children across 5,085 schools, has today whizzed through the whole of Karnataka to reach 53,619 schools embracing under its care an additional 55 lakh children.

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The initiative

• The Karnataka government has introduced a new initiative to ensure nutrition for government school-going children, with a focus on addressing nutritional inadequacies and preventing anaemia.
• The initiative involves supplying a multi-nutrient supplement called ‘SaiSure’, specially customised for children, to almost all government school-going children in Karnataka.
• ‘SaiSure’ is intended to complement the existing ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ initiative, which has been providing milk to government school children five days a week since 2013, with a budget of approximately ₹731 crore approved for the program this year.
• The Chief Minister praised the addition of ‘SaiSure’ to the nutritional efforts, emphasising its role in promoting children’s holistic development.
• ‘SaiSure’ is available in ragi-variant or malt-variant forms and can be mixed with milk provided by the ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ Programme, or consumed with jaggery and water.
• The initiative also benefits the farming community of Karnataka by purchasing organically-grown ragi millet through the Subhiksha Organic Farmers’ Multi-State Cooperative Society Ltd, ensuring fair compensation for farmers.
• The Annapoorna Morning Nutrition Programme, facilitated by Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust, is now India’s largest morning nutrition program, serving 90 lakh children across 25 states and five union territories.

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