All set for mid-day meals for Inter students

Guntur: The state government is all set to implement mid-day meal scheme for 1.5 lakh Intermediate students studying in 450 government-run junior colleges in the 13 districts in Andhra Pradesh from August 1.

The government has entrusted the responsibility of implementing the scheme to the district collectors. The government hopes that mid-day meal scheme might encourage students to prefer government junior colleges, which is in the recent past experiencing poor strength.

Sources in the Intermediate Board said that there are 450 government junior colleges of which 333 colleges are very close to high schools. For these colleges, food would be supplied from the nearest schools. For the rest of the schools, food would be supplied directly.

The Intermediate Board officials are coordinating with the high school head masters to implement the scheme. After reviewing the arrangement for the meal scheme, Intermediate Board commissioner B Udaya Lakshmi directed the Regional Inspecting Officers (RIOs) to hold meetings with college principals, government high schools HMs and mid-day meals supplying agencies for effective implementation of the scheme.

Guntur –Krishna districts teachers constituency MLC AS Rama Krishna said: “I welcome the implementation of mid-day meal scheme for Intermediate students in the government junior colleges. There is need to provide infrastructure in the government junior colleges to implement the scheme. This scheme is useful to increase enrollment in the government junior colleges.”

Intermediate Board RIO ZS Ramachandra Rao said, "We have made arrangements to implement mid-day meal scheme and held a meeting with HMs and mid-day meal agencies. The government will issue a circular within two days about menu for midday meals. We will follow the menu.”