Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government has begun distribution of eggs to school children in seven districts of the state where the malnourishment indicator is alarming. The Karnataka government started providing boiled eggs and bananas to children studying in government-aided schools, aged between six and 15 years and suffering from malnutrition, anaemia and deficiency of proteins from December 1.
As many as 14,44,322 students studying in the first standard to the eighth standard in Bidar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal, Ballary and Vijayapura districts would be the beneficiaries. The programme will end in March 2022.
A much-needed step in right direction
Yadgir district has 74 per cent of students suffering from malnutrition and anaemia. Kalaburagi (72.4 per cent), Ballary (72.3 per cent), Koppal (70.7 per cent), Raichur (70.6 per cent), Bidar (69.1 per cent) and 68 per cent of students in Vijayapura were found to be malnourished.
Providing eggs to students will help. Indian children have the least height in the whole world. One of the biggest reasons is high malnourishment rates. If you give protein automatically the height and weight of the children is going to increase. Even if the children who are getting good nutrition at home are given a supplement of one egg per day definitely their nutritional status improves. Usually better nutritional levels are associated with better learning outcomes, Yadgir District Commissioner Dr Ragapriya R pointed out.
Neighbouring Tamil Nadu state introduced eggs with midday meals 50 years ago during the tenure of then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. The Women and Child Welfare department has been providing eggs to malnourished children for many years. The supply of protein in the form of eggs and pulses is seen as crucial during the COVID pandemic as the virus affects those with less immunity.
The BJP-JD (S) coalition government in 2007, then headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy, had rolled back its project of distributing eggs to school children, succumbing to pressure from religious groups. However, it is to be seen how the BJP government responds to the issue now.
Religious threats
The decision has angered a section of society who are demanding that eggs shouldn't be distributed inside schools as it encourages discrimination among school-going children.
Channa Basavananda Swamiji, National President of Lingayat Dharma Mahasabha, has demanded a rollback of the decision. "There is uniformity among school-going children in terms of dress code, syllabus. There shouldn't be discrimination in terms of food. The government should provide food which is acceptable to all," he said.
Retaliating against the seer's call to roll back the initiative that works for the welfare of children, many have spoken in favour of continuing the distribution of protein supplements. They say children who have easier access to better nutrition have better education outcomes and welcomed CM Bommai's move.
Niranjan Aradhya, a development educationist and a former faculty of National Law School of India University, described the opposition to providing eggs to students as a ploy to divide the country based on food.
"The government shouldn't succumb to religious threats. The scheme has to be extended to the whole of Karnataka. Eggs have to be given to small children going to anganwadis and students from class one to 10 have to get eggs," he said.
"I don't know why religious seers are getting into it. According to the National Family Health Survey 5th round (2019), in Karnataka, most children are not reaching their ideal height and weight, with stunting (less height for age) of 35.4 per cent, underweight (less weight for age) of 32.9 per cent even before starting their school life at 6 years, and this is more so in children from vulnerable communities," he further explained.
(With inputs from IANS)
