Supply of milk to 65 lakh schoolchildren under the State government’s Ksheera Bhagya scheme is all set to be linked to the midday meal scheme.
Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar told reporters here on Thursday that the supply would be linked to the vehicles carrying groceries for midday meals to the schools. The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which is spearheading the scheme, has agreed to bear the additional transportation cost, the Minister said.
He said that there was a delay in supplying milk powder to some schools in remote areas because of logistical problems. “Now, we have decided to link the supply to the midday meal grocery vehicles, which have to go to every school. We have negotiated with the KMF and the federation has agreed to bear the additional cost of transportation from the main supply point to the school,” Mr. Ratnakar said.
He said that the issue was likely to come up before the Cabinet on Friday.
KMF Managing Director A.S. Premnath told The Hindu that the federation was bearing the transportation cost till the main supply point in villages where milk cooperative societies are active.
“But it has become difficult to supply in places where we do not have societies. We have now agreed to take up the cost of supplying the stocks till the school,” Mr. Premnath said.
“We are bearing additional cost to supply milk whatever the number of students in each school. There has been some delay in supply to a few schools because of bad roads and rain. Following Thursday’s meeting with government officials, we have decided to link the supply to the grocery vehicles so that no school is left out,” he said.
He said that the exact figure of the additional expenses that the federation would have to bear could be worked out only after the supply through the grocery vehicles started.