P V Satyanarayana Khammam

TheCentralised Community Kitchen established at Madhira under the state government’s School Breakfast Programme has successfully completed two months, providing nutritious breakfast every day to around 27,700 students across 575 government schools and 10 government junior colleges in 11 mandals.

The initiative was launched on July 27 by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and has been continuing under his supervision and guidance, officials said.

The Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation India is the implementation partner for the programme.

A balanced breakfast menu has been designed under the guidance of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) to provide essential nutrients required for the physical and mental development of students. Hot milk is also served on alternate days.

The weekly breakfast menu includes idli with sambar, puri with aloo kurma, dosa with chutney, upma with chutney, millet idli with sambar and bonda with chutney.

The centralised kitchen is equipped with modern machinery to prepare large quantities of breakfast within a short period. It has a production capacity of 5,400 idlis, 3,600 puris and 2,000 dosas per hour, officials said.

The prepared food is transported in dedicated vehicles to schools and colleges in time for distribution, while hygiene and food safety standards are maintained throughout the preparation and delivery process.

Under the programme, the government bears the breakfast cost based on the level of students. The allocation is Rs 11.50 per student for Classes 1 to 5 and Rs 13.50 for Classes 6 to 10 and junior college students. An additional Rs 1.08 per student is allocated for milk served on alternate days.

Organisers said the provision of breakfast in the morning has helped ensure that students do not have to attend classes on an empty stomach and has contributed to improved concentration and attendance.

The Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation India also expressed gratitude to Singareni Collieries Company Limited for providing financial assistance under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative towards construction of the centralised kitchen.