Telangana spending over 60% of mid-day meal expenses: K Srihari

Telangana government is bearing over 60 per cent of spending on mid-day meal being served to government schoolchildren though it was a centrally funded scheme, said Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari.

Unlike, other Centrally funded schemes where the States bear less than 40 per cent, Srihari said Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had decided to spend any amount to serve the best meal to schoolchildren.Stating that the Centre granted only Rs 176 crore of Rs 550 crore being spent by Telangana government to serve mid-day meal to 25 lakh children, Srihari added that super fine rice and three eggs in a week were being provided so that students could have nutritious meal.

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating state-of-the-art mega centralised kitchen in the presence of Infosys Foundation, Chairman, Sudha Murthy at Kandi in Sangareddy district on Friday, Srihari elaborated various efforts being put in by Telangana



government for the welfare of schoolchildren.

He said Rs one lakh was being spent on each of 4 lakh children studying in 845 residential schools, of which 577 were set up within three years after Telangana was formed. Stating that Telangana Residential Schools were far better in terms of quality of facilities, quality of education and others, Srihari added their students could compete on international platforms. “We have been spending more on education than rich States and bigger States than Telangana, he said.

Hailing the Philanthropic activity of Infosys Foundation and Sudha Murthy, Srihari appealed to Murthy to extend help to set up such kitchens in Warangal district.

Srihari, Sudha Murthy and other guests went through the high-tech kitchen after inaugurating it. Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa, president, Akshya Patra Telangana-Andhra Pradesh presided over the meeting.