VIJAYAWADA: The State government will roll out the distribution of fine quality fortified rice for mid-day meals across all government schools and welfare hostels starting Thursday to enhance the nutritional intake of schoolchildren.
According to the authorities, 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of fine rice will be provided to over 44,392 government schools, and 3,952 social welfare hostels, benefiting over 37 lakh children in the State.
Speaking to TNIE, Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar said, “For the first time, the government has decided to provide mid-day meals with fine quality fortified rice to offer delicious and nutritious meals to students.”
He asserted the dual impact of the initiative, improving student health while honouring farmers.
“Arrangements are being made to distribute rice to schools and hostels directly from the hands of the farmer, who cultivated paddy. Thus, the government is respecting the farmer, who is the backbone of the country,” he said.
The rice, packed in 25 kg High-Density Polyethylene bags, will be enriched with micronutrients aimed at boosting immunity among children.
In a unique move, the bags will carry a photo of two children, the school name, the national flag, and the government logo, reflecting the program’s child-focused nature.
A QR code system will be used to track the distribution, allowing school principals to scan and log inventory upon receipt. Feedback on rice quality will be collected through a star-rating system submitted by the school principals. A strict monitoring mechanism will track distribution from mandal-level warehouses to individual schools.
The soft launch will take place on Thursday across the State, and the official launch is likely to be held on June 20 by HRD Minister Nara Lokesh and the Civil Supplies Minister during a parent-teacher meeting.
Palnadu allocated 473.2 tonnes of fine rice this month
GUNTUR: In a move to ensure nutritious meals for students, the State government has commenced the supply of fine quality rice to government schools and hostels in Palnadu district under the Mid-Day Meal and welfare hostel schemes. The initiative, launched by the Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. (APSCSCL), is aimed at improving meal quality as the new academic year begins.
For June, 473.2 metric tonnes of fine rice—nearly 19,000 bags of 25 kg each—have been allocated to the district. The rice is being sourced from buffer godowns at NR Peta, Edlapadu, and Piduguralla, with NR Peta serving as the primary storage hub. From there, rice is transported to 10 mandal-level stock (MLS) points including Vinukonda, Macherla, and Narasaraopeta.
So far, 9,547 bags have been dispatched. While areas like Narasaraopeta, Pedakurapadu, and Sattenapalli have received their full allocations, other regions such as Vinukonda and Macherla are still awaiting complete delivery.
Due to the absence of automated packing systems in Palnadu, rice is being manually packed at the Edlapadu warehouse by Guntur-based Vyshnavi Trading Corporation. Each bag is tagged with a QR code. Bihar-based M/s Jaidayal Hitex Pvt. Ltd. was contracted to supply 25,100 PP bags. After diverting 6,000 bags to Eluru, 19,100 bags remain—sufficient to meet Palnadu’s requirement.