Karnataka

Govt agrees to demand of NGOs handling free milk supply

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 milk_glass_NandiniBANGALORE: The Congress government’s ambitious free milk scheme to tackle malnutrition among children in rural areas will again start flowing from September 1.

The state government has agreed to the demand made by NGOs responsible for the implementation of Ksheera Bhagya scheme. The NGOs had sought an incentive of Re 1 per child, as against the 59 paise offered by the government earlier.

“We have decided to supply milk to at least one lakh children in the first phase from September 1. We will cover another 5 lakh kids in the second phase spanning over the next 2-3 months,” said Bharati Ghanashyam of Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Though the government launched the free milk scheme on August1, it’s struggling to deliver on its promise. Only 50% of the children are getting free supply now. Under the scheme, the government plans to provide 150ml of milk three times a week to over 65 lakh school children in 51,000 government schools, and 39 lakh children in anganwadi centres.

However, the government is yet to clear other hurdles, including irregular supply of milk and transport issues. The supply of eggs along with milk also remains a non-starter in anganwadi centers.

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