PANAJI: The Union education ministry and the state government will together contribute Rs 1.1 crore during the academic year 2021-22 to add an egg once a week to the midday meals served to students in Goa.
Over a six month period, more than 93,000 primary school students in Goa are expected to be given eggs as part of their supplementary nutrition once schools reopen for physical classes.
The state had proposed to introduce eggs in the midday meal scheme during the last academic year, but as schools remained shut due to the pandemic, the implementation could not take place. Instead, students’ families were provided dry rations in lieu of midday meals during 2020-21.
The funds for the addition to the midday meal diet were recently approved at a meeting conducted by officials of the Union education ministry held to review the scheme’s implementation in Goa.
This supplementary nutrition will be provided over and above the existing midday meal being served in the state. The Union government will contribute 60% of the funds, while Goa government will put in 40% of the share in the Rs 1.1 crore required to implement the addition to the midday meal.
Many other states are already supplementing the midday meal with eggs, milk and fruits.
The Goa government too, had considered serving fruits some years ago through the horticulture corporation, but plans fizzled out as retaining the freshness of the fruit till the time it reached the student had posed challenges.
Now, students will get an egg as part of their midday meal, which, until now, only saw vegetarian meals being served in Goa.
In previous reviews , Goa had been asked to consider adding supplementary nutrition to the meals, like milk, eggs or fruits.
