Students in Kerala’s government schools will now benefit from better nourishment as the state plans to include seasonal fruits in its mid day meals. A proposal by the General Education department has recommended adding fruits such as mango, guava and gooseberries twice a week. 

If accepted, the proposal will cover students from classes 1 to 8 in aided, government and special needs schools. It will also ensure extra nourishment for students 5 days in a week. 

“At present, each student is given 150 ml of milk, either in the morning or post lunch, twice a week. One day of the week they are served egg curry or a banana with their meal. The mid day meal menu includes rice, pulses and a vegetable gravy,” an official at the department of general education told TNM. 

As per the government data, Kerala spend Rs 600 crore annually on its mid day meals in 2018-19. The scheme is entirely borne by the state and covers over 12, 300 schools. 

Seasonal fruits are also part of the Uttar Pradesh government’s mid day meal scheme. However, the scheme only provides milk and fruit one day in a week and no egg. 

The Kerala government’s proposal comes even as states such as Karnataka have stopped onions and garlic in their mid day meals. In Karnataka, the scheme is undertaken by NGO Akshaya Patra Foundation which avoids garlic and onion in an attempt to serve ‘Satvik’ food  and triggered a controversy. The Karnataka government even accused the foundation of serving bland and unhealthy food to school children through the scheme. The foundation responded by stating that the meals were compliant with the standards prescribed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and state government.  Akshaya Patra is one of the largest providers of mid-day meals in the state of Karnataka.