The state government led by chief minister Ashok Gehlot last year in November launched Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana under which school children from class I to VIII are provided nutritious milk twice a week. The Chief Minister in the recently presented budget announced to provide milk throughout the week from the coming financial year. This initiative will help in overcoming the problem of malnutrition among children and will also ensure their physical and mental development.
Currently, around 69.22 lakh children studying in classes I to VIII in various government schools, Sanskrit schools and madrasas are provided milk twice a week on Wednesday and Friday. It is to be mentioned that children from classes I to V are being provided 150ml milk prepared from 15gm milk powder, while students of classes VI to VIII are being given 200ml milk made from 20gm milk powder. Sugar is added to the milk and then provided to these children. In case of holidays on Wednesday and Friday, the milk is served on the next day. The attendance of children has increased in the schools because of this scheme as parents/guardians of the children are inspired to send their wards to schools. Mukhyamantri Bal Gopal Yojana will also help in increasing enrolment and preventing dropout.
The milk prepared from milk powder is served to students after the prayers under the supervision of the School Management Committee (SMC). A school teacher, a guardian of the student and a member of SMC taste the milk to check the quality before being served milk to the children as they do before serving midday meals. This state government has made a provision of Rs 476.44 crore for better implementation and managing this scheme. Now in the budget of 2023-24, chief minister Gehlot has announced to provide milk every day to the school children, which will cost Rs 1000 crore.
The powder milk is being purchased from Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) for this scheme.
Parents of Sejal, who is a student of class V in Mahatma Gandhi English Medium School, Chhatri Wali Dhani in Dausa district expressing gratitude to Gehlot said that children of many poor families like them are getting nutritious milk in school. They were unable to provide milk to their children due to their poor economic conditions. The parents said that now along with quality education, the children also get nutrients in school. Similarly, Deepika, a student of class IV in the same school said that she gets milk twice a week and it tastes good.
Himanshi Gaur, a student of class VIII at the Government Senior Secondary School in Udaipur said that she gets milk in school under the government scheme and all children enjoy drinking it.
