Midday meal scheme launched for college students

A midday meal programme was formally launched at the Government First Grade Women’s College at Vijayanagar on January 19. The programme is an initiative of G.T. Deve Gowda, Chamundeshwari MLA, with the support of his close associates.

The programme was launched to ensure that economically disadvantaged women students coming from surrounding localities and villages within the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency do not go hungry during the afternoon.

The programme was inaugurated at a function held on the college campus. During the programme, Mr. Gowda and Akshaya Patra Foundation (ISKCON) President Stoka Krishnaswamy served meals to the students.

In his address after inaugurating the programme, Mr. Krishnaswamy noted that Mr. Gowda, a long-time visitor to ISKCON, proposed providing meals to college students, which the Foundation agreed to support. He said that while the government provides midday meals to primary and upper primary school children, there is no such scheme for college students.

“Students had informed me that they had to travel far in search of food during lunchtime. So arrangements were made to mobilise resources to launch the scheme and ensure uninterrupted meal distribution in the future as well. This scheme, started at the Vijayanagar college in Mysuru, should also be implemented in the State,” Mr. Gowda said.

Akshaya Patra Foundation Vice-President Krishna Keshavadas and others were present.