Shortage of LPG may affect midday meals

Shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders has become a major cause of concern for the Education Department in the district to run the Akshara Dasoha scheme.

The government and government-aided schools in the district need at least 3,953 LPG cylinders, as per an estimate by the Department of Education. Nevertheless, the authorities have managed to supply only 3,136 LPG cylinders, according to the documents obtained from the Mandya Zilla Panchayat.

Firewood

The shortfall in LPG cylinders for Akshara Dasoha scheme in the district is 817. Therefore, teachers in several schools in almost all taluks have been arranging firewood through residents and students, for providing midday meals to children from Class 1 to 10 in government and government-aided schools.

The teachers were forced to use firewood, coconut shells, tender coconut husks and dried shrubs to cook food, a gram panchayat member in Maddur taluk said.

A school with a student strength of 50 students was being supplied with one cylinder and the number of cylinders would be two for schools with 100 students and three for schools with 150 students, the official said.

A senior official of the Department of Public Instruction, when contacted, said he was not aware of the issue. The department would initiate measures to resolve the issue.

The department had instructed the teachers to avail themselves of the benefit of surplus LPG cylinders from other schools during crisis, he said.