Schoolchildren to get milk powder delivered at home

The scheme will cover 64 lakh students from both government and aided schools across the state.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

BENGALURU: To maintain the nutrition levels of children in government and aided schools, the Karnataka government has directed the task force constituted to handle Covid-19 situation at the gram panchayat level to supply milk powder along with the ration to beneficiaries of Ksheera Bhagya scheme. 
Ever since the Covid pandemic broke out, there were concerns over depleting nutrition levels of government children, majority of whom are from economically weaker sections.

The scheme will cover 64 lakh students from both government and aided schools across the state.
Managing Director, Karnataka Milk Federation, B C Sateesh told The New Sunday Express that KMF is already delivering whole milk powder (WMP) to over 39.5 lakh Anganwadi children, six months to six-year-old. Each child gets 15 gm of milk powder every day that costs the federation Rs 4.01.

Every day, 3 lakh litres of milk is turned into 35 metric tonnes of milk powder to cater to these children, he said. Now, with the scheme being rolled out to students from class one to 10 across 55,683 aided and government schools, Sateesh said that 64 lakh more youngsters will benefit. 

Normally, 18 gm of powder, which costs Rs 5.09, is given to each student under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme at their schools. But as schools have not opened since May because of the pandemic, students have been missing out on nutrition. Fat in the milk is about 3.5 percent, which is the source of nutrition for these children.Students will be given half-a-kilo of milk powder per month, for two months, and the KMF is likely to get the order soon, sources said.

The government has asked teachers to assist the task force in distributing the milk powder. The government is trying to rope in autorickshaws that were used to make public announcements on Covid to distribute the essentials to beneficiaries.

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