New Delhi: Karnataka’s school education department has proposed to the state government that eggs in mid-day meals be provided for 80 days instead of the current 46 days and to Class 9 and 10 students as well, the Indian Express reported.The state government is also planning to introduce millets and sprouts in its mid-day meals and sent a proposal to the Union government in March asking for over 11,000 tons of millets.“The proposal was sent to the centre in March this year, but we haven’t heard from them for the last three months. The centre has always insisted on including millets to increase the nutritional value and marking 2023 as the international year of millets,” a state government official told the Express.But they continued to say that as of June 9, there was “no response to the proposal”.Mid-day meals are provided by state governments to schoolchildren for free to improve their nutrition and encourage attendance.Eggs were piloted in Karnataka’s mid-day meals in eight districts in 2021. Earlier attempts to do this had faced opposition from religious groups.Also Read: Who Gains When Karnataka’s Children Don’t Get Eggs in Their Midday Meals?But a majority of children studying in government-run and government-aided schools in Karnataka are from Dalit, Adivasi, OBC and religious minority communities and consume eggs at home.Hindustan Times reported that the pilot project improved students’ nutrition and the Union government has extended the provision of eggs in these districts till May next year.As for sprouts, the school education department wants to use them to decrease levels of anaemia in children.“Milk is not entirely protein. So we want to introduce sprouts, which are high in protein and can help fight anaemia and malnutrition among children. We still have to work out the cost of introducing sprouts because we have to procure them in the open market at competitive prices,” the Express report quoted a government official as saying.Eggs in mid-day meals were piloted in eight Karnataka districts in 2021 and have been extended till May next year. The state’s school education department has sought the serving of eggs on more days of the academic year.
