Mangalore, Aug 1: As part of 'Ksheera Bhagya' scheme launched by the state government, milk powder will now be distributed to students in Anganwadis and government schools all over the state thrice a week from Thursday onwards.
In Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, Dakshina Kannada Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd (DKMUL) will provide milk powder to children in anganwadis and students studying upto Class 10 in schools thrice a week to prevent malnutrition.
District-in-charge minister B Ramanath Rai gave a district-wide launch to the scheme by distributing milk to students at Government Model Higher Primary School at Gandhinagar here on Thursday.
Speaking after inaugurating the programme, Mr Rai said that implementation of the scheme would be instrumental in dispel nutrition among children.
“While children belonging to families from higher economic strata easily avail nutritious food items such as milk, the ones from lower economic strata do not have this privilege. Hence, this scheme will help in improving the nutritional and health status of children in government schools, as nutrition is essential for the overall development of a child,” he said.
He said that distribution of milk, along with other schemes such as provision of mid-day meals and iron-folic tablets, would also encourage children to attend classes. It even generates revenue for milk producers and farmers, he said.
In the coming days, the implementation of Shishu Janani Suraksha Yojane will also be successful in decreasing the female infant mortality rates, he said.
As per the 'Ksheera Bhagya' scheme, 15 grams each of whole milk powder will be provided to students from Class 1 to Class 10, while skimmed milk powder will be provided to children in Anganwadis on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, under Integrated Child Development Scheme.
Although the state government had proposed distribution of milk in liquid form to schools and anganwadis earlier, the Department of Education requested that milk powder be supplied instead of milk.
In his presidential address, DKMUL President Raviraj Hegde said that with constituents such as calcium, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, zinc and riboflavin, milk was a complete food, which was necessary for a child to become healthy and intelligent.
He said that about 75-80 percent of the milk powder had been distributed to schools and anganwadi centres, while the rest of it would be done in two days.
In his introductory remarks, DKMUL Managing Director Dr B V Sathyanarayana said that under the scheme, milk had been distributed to 2,50,000 children in schools and 88,000 children in Anganwadi centres in the district.
Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) Moses Jayashekar, Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare Department Gertrude Veigas, DK Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and others were present on the occasion.
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