HYDERABAD: The state government has finalised the breakfast menu for Intermediate students ahead of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy launching the breakfast and mid-day meal scheme on June 12.
The scheme will be implemented in all government and aided junior colleges across Telangana. Students will be served dosa, millet idli, puri, bonda, upma and idli along with chutney, sambar and mixed vegetable kurma.
Officials said the government would spend Rs 80 crore annually on breakfast and Rs 100 crore on mid-day meals, taking the total expenditure to Rs 180 crore a year.
Officials said the menu was designed in line with the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) recommendations and aimed to provide 1,029 kilocalories and 30–32 grams of protein for adolescents aged 15 to 18.
The government expects the scheme to address malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies and iron deficiency among students, particularly adolescent girls.
Officials said improved nutrition would enhance concentration levels and academic performance.
The programme is also expected to promote social equality by encouraging students from different backgrounds to dine together.
Nearly 1.92 lakh students are expected to benefit once classes begin fully. On the launch day, around 41,250 students from 64 junior colleges are likely to receive breakfast.
Officials said Telangana would become the first state to extend both breakfast and lunch facilities to Intermediate students. They said the scheme was expected to reduce dropout rates among rural, tribal and economically weaker students who often travel long distances to colleges without breakfast or lunch.
Many students from villages and tribal hamlets travel to junior colleges in towns and mandal headquarters without meals because of time and financial constraints, officials added.
Weekly breakfast menu
Dosa with chutney
Millet idli with sambar
Puri with mixed vegetable kurma
Bonda with chutney Idli with chutney
Upma with chutney/sambar
* 150 ml milk on alternate days