On Monday morning, nearly 150 students at the Bharathidasan Government College for Women stood near the college canteen watching prominent personalities talk. Soon after the speech concluded, they queued up to pick their food packets.
It was the first day of Bharathidasan Government College for Women Alumnae Association’s ‘Free Breaksfast Scheme’ for the impoverished and students with single parents. Minister for Social Welfare M. Kandasamy, MLAs Lakshminarayanan and Vaiyapuri Manikandan
R. Sangeetha, studying second year B.A. Economics in the college, was one among the 150 students, who waited for her turn to receive the food packet. She has not eaten for the past two days.
With a broad smile, she says that her father works in a sugar mill near Lingareddy Palayam and her mother is unwell at home. “We get food only on two occasions when my mother has money to buy rice and vegetables or when my elder sister brings food for us from her home,” she says.
Sangeetha travels for nearly an hour and a half to reach college and most of the days she attends classes without eating breakfast or lunch. She has an elder sister who is married and a younger brother who is studying in Class XII.
“We just drink water when we are hungry. I do not have money to buy food from the canteen,” she says.
Like her, Vijayalaksmi (BA Economics), Nivedharshani (BSc) and many more students attend classes skipping their breakfast and lunch. Through this scheme, the alumnae association will provide breakfast on all the working days. The students will get idli thrice a week, pongal and kichadi for the rest two days,” said Rajiny, Secretary, Bharathidasan Government College for Women Alumnae Association.
She stated that the alumnae association had saved up money for the students. “We are also collecting more to keep the scheme running. We require at least ₹50,000 a month to provide breakfast for 250 students we have identified,” she said.
Razia, president of the association, added that the scheme has now been launched and it is up to the alumnae, college staff and public to support the cause and make it sustainable for the benefit of the less privileged students.
In Bharathidasan Government College for Women, there are 15 departments and 2500 students are studying in those departments. Most of them travel from the rural areas to attend the college.
Inaugurating the scheme, Minister M. Kandasamy lauded the alumnae association’s effort to provide breakfast for the students. “Quality food is not given to students in government hostels. It is the fault of the employees working there. They should work with complete commitment,” he said.
‘Quality food in hostels’
Mr. Kandasamy added that measures will be taken to ensure quality food is given to the students.
‘He also said that the government staff and affluent people should not go after the freebies. This will help the impoverished people in several ways. “We will go to the rural areas and create awareness in this regard,” he added.
P. Poongavanam, principal of the college, also an alumna of the institution welcomed the guests and appreciated the association for organising this programme and assured that the needy students will get the all support.
