The Department of School Education and Literacy has dropped the plan of providing ragi mudde and jolada rotti in government and aided schools in the midday meal programme across the State for this academic year due to a shortage of funds and non-availability of good quality ragi and jowar.
Regional food habits
In addition to egg, banana, and groundnut chikki in midday meals, the government had plans to add millets such as ragi and jowar to the diet of the government and aided school children. In keeping with the regional food habits, ragi mudde was supposed to be introduced in South Karnataka and jolada rotti in North Karnataka, along with rice and sambar in the midday meals. It was to take off in September 2022. Ragi and jowar were supposed be purchased from Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd.,(KFCSC).
However, it has turned out that the foodgrains available in the KFCSC godowns are of poor quality at this time of the year. According to sources, the department does not have enough funds to purchase ragi and jowar from the open market and this has forced it to drop the plan this academic year.
Vishal R., Commissioner for the Department of Public Instruction, told The Hindu: “This year, we had plans to add ragi mudde and jolada rotti in the school midday meals programme. The KFCSC had offered to supply ragi and jowar. But there is no good quality grain available. Therefore we dropped the programme for this academic year.”
Funding in next Budget
He explained that the current funds were enough for the midday meals programme and for distributing boiled egg, banana, and chikki. “We need additional funds for providing ragi mudde and jolada rotti. Therefore, we will add this programme in the next year’s State Budget and appeal to the government for additional funds,” Dr. Vishal said.
