BENGALURU: Children in state government schools will enjoy a power-packed lunch from this month onwards as their mid-day meals will come fortified with iron, an essential mineral.
The introduction of iron-fortified salt will almost double the nutrient level in the food served in schools.
Confirming this, Food and Civil Supplies Department principal secretary Harsh Gupta said along with NGOs associated with the mid-day meal scheme, they are also supplying iron-fortified salt to schools.
Presently, NGOs and schools prepare mid-day meals using iodized salt, but following a decision taken in the recent cabinet meeting on supplying iron-fortified salt through fair price shops, the department has decided to extend it to mid-day meals too.
Recently, the state government had introduced fortified rice under the scheme in three districts -- Dharwad, Ballari and Bengaluru.
This is going to benefit at least 2,600 government schools in the select districts where Akshaya Patra Foundation is serving food. The Education Department had inked an agreement with the foundation in this regard recently.