Midday meal workers to be trained

A child drinking milk during the launch of ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ programme by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Hosakote near Bangalore.

With the objective to ensure proper implementation of Ksheera Bhagya scheme, the Department of Public Instruction has planned special training programmes for teachers and midday meal workers serving in Government and aided schools.

Education Officer (EO) G. Lohith told The Hindu that prior to launching of Ksheera Bhagya scheme, the guidelines had been issued on storage of milk powder, preparation of milk, serving milk to children, and on the maintenance of cleanliness in kitchens.

Schools have been directed to purchase steel containers to store milk powder and utensils for preparing milk with the annual funds provided to them under Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan, he said.

He said training would be provided to teachers and to Akshara Dasoha cooks at the cluster level that comprises 10 to 15 schools.

Experts from Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and the Department of Health and Family Welfare would take part in the training programme as resource persons. The demonstrations on preparation of milk from whole milk powder (WMP) would be held and experts would deliver talks on the nutritional value of milk. The training programme would be completed by August 15, he said.

Visit

Mr. Lohith said on Sunday he visited some Government and aided Urdu medium schools in Shikaripur taluk.

The scheme has garnered a good response from students. Officials of the Department of Public Instruction would pay surprise visits to the schools and would taste the milk prepared there, he said.

He said a 1,95,212 students from 2,181 Government and aided schools in the district would benefit from the scheme.

Private schools that were recently awarded grant-in-aid by the government had been directed to construct kitchens at the earliest to provide midday meals and milk to students, he said.

A total number of 98,989 children in 2,431 Anganawadi centres in the district would also be benefited from the scheme.

Deputy Director of Department of Women and Child Welfare Lakshmikanthamma told The Hindu that detailed guidelines had been sent to all Anganawadi centres through Child Development Project Officers on preparation of milk from skimmed milk powder (SMP).

In addition to this, the Department had made preparations to conduct training programme in this regard at Anganawadi Workers’ Training Centre (AWTC) in the city, she said.

---

Demonstrations on preparation of milk from whole milk powder (WMP) will be held

Experts will deliver talks on the nutritional value of milk; training will be over by Aug 15