Mid-Day Meal In All States

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FROM SIFY NEWS

 

Bangalore: President A P J Abdul Kalam hoped that all the States would implement the mid-day meal scheme for students.

 

Speaking to newspersons after launching a new dimension of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, aimed at providing mid-day meal to one lakh children in schools, he said as education was a State subject, it was for the State Governments to decide on the implementation of the mid-day meal scheme for students.

 

Asked whether he favoured an idea of parents whose monthly income crossed Rs 10,000 to support the scheme by providing voluntary donation, he said it was a noble cause and the children of such parents should tell them to contribute.

 

Earlier, interacting with the school children, the President said providing mid-day meal for children was an important mission and observed that such a scheme, launched by late Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers K Kamaraj and M G Ramachandran, had yielded good results in education and birth rate. Nutritional food and good health always provided a sound base for good education, he observed.

 

He said good education led one to gain knowledge which ultimately helped in the development of the society. He urged the children to develop leadership qualities without expecting fame and serve the needy.

 

The President took lunch in the Krishna temple premises of the ISKCON along with the children, Governor T N Chaturvedi, Chief Minister S M Krishna and others.

 

On behalf of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, Rajiv, a student, urged the President to prevail upon the Governments to invest in feeding and empowering every child by earmarking a portion of funds for the purpose.

 

The foundation launched the Akshaya Patra scheme in the year 2000 to provide free unlimited mid-day meal scheme to 1500 school children in Bangalore and its surroundings. It was scaled to 12,500 children in 2001 and 43,000 last year. It was hoped to cover one lakh children now and 2,50,000 by 2005.

 

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