Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar advised Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy to “think twice” before giving the mid-day meal scheme’s contract to the Akshaya Patra foundation run by the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Charitable Foundation, an affiliate of the ISKCON foundation.
Praveen Kumar, who served as the Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), asked if the meals to be provided by the foundation would have meat dishes along with vegetarian food, adding that currently, meat is being served in all residential schools and hostels and egg is being given as a part of the mid-day meals scheme in all govt day schools and anganwadis in the state.
“You (Revanth Reddy) have also indicated that it is going to be implemented all over the state without any wider discussion at all. Please discuss this on the floor of assembly at least…” he added.
‘Meat/fish/eggs important part of diet’
The former civil servant stated that meat/fish/egg, in addition to leafy vegetables and cereals, are an important part of the diet as it is a rich source of protein and vitamins according to established science.
“Will it all stop once Akshayapatra takes over this mid-day meals scheme? What if children do not like the food which they propose to provide?? Will you prefer your own children to eat only vegan food at home or you give choice to them? You must clarify,” he asked the chief minister.
‘Against imposition of alien food habits’
Further, Praveen Kumar stated that he has nothing against the Akshaya Patra Foundation but is “certainly against imposing an alien food habit on poor and voiceless kids, no matter how ‘satvik’ it is.”
“Instead increase the menu charges more than what is given to prisoners in jails and provide wholesome food (including meat) through trained parent committees in every school every day. You can raise money for this by cutting wasteful expenditures in government like ads. Let’s build a strong generation, not starve it. Thanks,” he remarked.
Revanth’s meeting with Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Hare Rama-Hare Krishna Charitable Foundation is set to operate a centralized kitchen that will serve breakfast and lunch to 28,000 school students in Kodangal, the constituency of Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy.
On Sunday, July 28, the chief minister discussed the creation of a semi-residential school as a pilot initiative in Kodangal with representatives from the foundation.
According to the chief minister’s Office, construction of the centralized kitchen has already begun in Kodangal town, which will be funded through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions. The chief minister plans to inaugurate the pilot project in Kodangal once the kitchen’s construction is complete.
Revanth Reddy proposed conducting a comprehensive study to implement a similar project statewide, emphasizing the government’s goal of providing quality education and nutritious food to underprivileged students.
The state government intends to establish one integrated residential school in each of the 119 Assembly constituencies. This initiative will consolidate residential schools for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Minorities into a single location.
As part of a pilot project, integrated residential schools will be set up in the Kodangal and Madhira constituencies, represented by Reddy and Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, respectively. The government has already secured 20 acres of land in both Kodangal and Madhira for these schools.
(With excerpts from IANS)
