The School Education Department is finding it difficult to include eggs in the mid-day meal scheme on a regular basis due to rise in price of eggs.
The mid-day meal scheme was initiated in government schools to improve enrolment and nutritional status of the children from impoverished backgrounds. Under the scheme, eggs should be distributed to the students twice a week.
Sources in the government schools said that they received eggs only two days in June, nine days in July, seven days in August, two days in September, one day in October and two days in November.
The mid-day meal scheme in Puducherry serves 68,150 students from Class I to XII in the 432 government and government-aided schools.
A senior official in the Directorate of School Education informed that due to rainfall, the supply was disturbed. “Later since the schools were given nilavembu kashayam (a herbal concoction) the eggs were not supplied,” the official said.
Minister for Education R. Kamalakannan said that the supply would be restored soon and there would not be any change in the scheme.
