As many as 9,467 students from classes I to V in Coimbatore Municipal Corporation, Mettupalayam Municipality, and Madukkarai schools will benefit from the ‘Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme’ in the district.
A total of 62 corporation primary schools in Coimbatore city have been included in the scheme, which is the highest in the State.
On Friday, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V. Senthilbalaji launched the scheme in the district at the Corporation Primary School in Ramanathapuram. Collector G.S. Sameeran, Corporation Mayor Kalpana Anandakumar, and Commissioner M. Prathap participated in the launch.
Based on a tender floated by the civic body last month, a Coimbatore-based NGO, ‘No Food Waste’, will supply food to the schools directly from the integrated kitchen at Kannampalayam, near Ondipudur.
Mr. Prathap told The Hindu that “the Department of Social Welfare will provide funds for the scheme and the civic body is yet to receive the funds. Till then, the scheme will function using the corporation funds.”
The breakfast package will have 150 to 200 gram of nutritious food with 60 ml of vegetable sambar. The Corporation will spend ₹12.50 per student for the scheme, according to official sources.
Detailed route maps and arrangements have been charted out for the supply of food to the schools using mini-trucks, with one truck for five to six schools, said Mr. Prathap.
The civic body conducted a five-day trial run to ensure that the food from the integrated kitchen reaches the school premises before 8 a.m. At the school level, the headmasters are tasked to monitor the food supply. The Corporation has also created a mobile application to track the movement of food. Sanitary inspectors and health department officials of the Corporation will conduct periodic food safety inspections, the Commissioner said.
A common kitchen to serve nine schools in Mettupalayam Municipality — benefitting 1,119 students — has been established in Nadur Municipal Elementary School, Commissioner R. Vinoth said.
Cooking and distribution are done by a contract-based catering service booked through tender process, and the students are served the food by the Illam Thedi Kalvi volunteers and School Management Committee members. The cooking process begins at 4:30-5:00 a.m in the kitchen, and it has taken to the schools by 7:00 a.m.
At Madukkarai, 730 students in three government schools will be served breakfast from the centralised kitchen set up at Marappalam Government Middle School in Rajeshwari Nagar, said Municipality Commissioner P. Pitchaimani. He said No Food Waste, an NGO that was booked through an online tender process, will prepare and distribute the food to schools. Under the supervision of SMCs, locals near the schools are employed to serve the children and clean the utensils, he added.
Tiruppur
In Tiruppur, Minister for Information and Publicity M.P. Saminathan and Minister for Adi Dravidar Welfare N. Kalayalvizhi Selvaraj launched the scheme at Jothiyampatti Panchayat Union Primary School. One of the objectives of this scheme is to address malnutrition among school children, Mr. Saminathan said.
A total of 1,746 students from 77 schools in Kundadam block will be benefitted by this scheme in the district. District Collector S. Vineeth, and Tiruppur Mayor N. Dinesh Kumar participated in the event.
