Congress government hasn’t informed schools about discontinuation of the breakfast scheme, which was introduced by previous BRS government.
Published Jul 22, 2024 | 3:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 22, 2024 | 3:00 PM
Errum Manzil Government High School has not received breakfast since April this year like all the other government schools across Telangana
Lakhs of children have been deprived of breakfast served in 27,147 schools in Telangana after the Congress-led state government did not renew the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for the 2024-25 academic year.
The previous BRS government had rolled out the scheme on a pilot basis at a cost of ₹400 crore on 6 October 2023. The intention was to provide nutritious food to over 23 lakh students of classes 1 to 10. The government had then termed it a Dasara present.
Students, teachers, and parents then welcomed the scheme enthusiastically. It was also meant to prevent pupils from dropping out of school.
Despite the gradual expansion of the scheme to more schools, the new government under A Revanth Reddy rolled it back. None of the government schools received the breakfast after they reopened after the summer break.
Principal A Venkat Reddy of the Errum Manzil Government High School said the students received breakfast till the end of the previous academic year.
“They discontinued the scheme without any information this year,” he said. The school, one of the first to be included in the scheme, stands next to the Nizam Institute of Medical Science (NIMS) at Errum Manzil in Hyderabad.
Similar, to the mid-day meal programme launched in collaboration with the central government, the meals were procurement by awarding contracts.
Manna Trust, a Jubilee Hills-based NGO was responsible for cooking and delivering meals in parts of Hyderabad.
“The government had placed orders for only until the end of the academic year. After that, there was no information from them as they’re yet to decide on its renewal,” Ramana Reddy, the NGO’s Operations Manager, said.
Firing up their kitchens as early as four in the morning, the organisation was responsible for feeding over 45 schools in the city, including the one at Errum Manzil.
The interim budget presented by the Congress government in February was silent on the continuation of the scheme. Unlike the mid-day meal scheme, where the central and state governments shared the costs, the state was responsible for financing the breakfast scheme.
Operating under the purview of the Department of School Education (DSE), the scheme has now been hanging fire.
“Two weeks ago, we received ₹3.41 crores, settling the dues,” a DSE official said. “Despite the change in government, the scheme ran smoothly until 29 April this year,” another official said.
They added that the department had raised queries regarding the scheme’s continuation but was yet to hear back from the authorities.
“The discontinuation of the breakfast scheme has not affected our school. There wasn’t any backlash either,” VAS Karunasri, Principal of Raj Bhavan Government High School, said.
The school, located close to Raj Bhavan has over 600 students. “The students here are relatively better off,” Karunasri informed, adding that most of them had breakfast at home.
However, at the Errum Manzil Government High School, the situation was different. “This scheme primarily benefits those children who cannot afford or get breakfast at home,” Venkat Reddy said.
Adding that it complemented the mid-day meal programme, he opined that it catered to the children’s nutritional needs. “Relaunching the scheme would be a positive move,” he further stated.
“Discontinuing the scheme is a bad move by the government,” R Sunny, father of two students of the school, said. A resident of Rajnagar, he asserted that the scheme would have a substantial positive impact on the children’s health.
“Even parents having the time and means to make breakfast are not predominantly concerned with nutrition. The menu under the scheme did take care of the children’s nutritional needs,” he added, hoping that the government would re-introduce the scheme.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao slammed the Congress government for discontinuing the scheme. Expressing disappointment, he termed the move unwise, and demanded its reinstatement.
It’s truly unfortunate that the Congress Govt has cancelled this wonderful initiative in Telangana
KCR Government had launched the breakfast scheme for students & had planned to expand it also but now …..
Request the Govt to reconsider their unwise decision and implement the… https://t.co/PZJvWI0a8n
— KTR (@KTRBRS) July 16, 2024
Telangana discontinued the scheme even as Tamil Nadu expanded it to an additional 4,000 government-aided schools. In Tamil Nadu, the scheme has been operational since 2022.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
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