Mangalore, Karnataka : 

Minister for environment, ecology and forest and district in-charge BRamanathRai inaugurated the state government’s yet another welfare scheme for students KsheeraBhagya at the Government Higher Primary Model School, Gandhinagar in Mangaloreon Thursday. Under the scheme students of government and aided schools will be provided with free milk powder.

Rai said, “Nutrition plays an important role in a child’s intellectual as well as physical development. Anganawadi centers and government schools are a boon for poor children in providing nutritious food,” he said.

Milk powder will be given to students three times a week. At present, schools will get milk powder once in 15-days and in future it will be supplied on a monthly basis. Milk powder will be supplied in 25-kg bags and schools have to purchase air tight containers utilizing Akshara Dasoha funds, to store the powder, said K L Manjula, education officer (Akshara Dasoha).

“We have started supplying milk power to every school in the district and by Friday all schools will receive it,” she said.

Each student will get 18 grams of milk powder.

Around 5,795 kilogram of milk powder is required to produce 47,526 liters of milk to 3,16,845 students from 2,488 schools in the district.

For the 3,248 anganwadi centers with 1,42,981 children, the requirement is 21,447 liters of milk and 2,041 kg of milk powder.

Teachers of government higher primary model school, Gandhinagar  opined that it is a welcome initiative. “Many students are not getting nutritious food at home. As milk power is rich in calcium, vitamins and carbohydrates, it will help develop students’ intelligence,” they added.

Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd president Raviraj Hegde, deputy commissioner N Prakash and others were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / TNN / August 02nd, 2013