<p>“Milk was never so tasty before,” exclaimed Mayappa, a ninth standard student, Government High School, Tandavapura, Nanjangud taluk, Mysore after slurping down the milk distributed at his school, on Thursday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>It was the launch of the State government’s ambitious scheme ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ where milk was distributed to school children aside from Anganwadis. A total of 346 children in the school at Tandavapura later stood in the queue to get their share of ‘a glass of milk’.<br /><br />Though plain milk powder is supplied by Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), the school though School Development and Monitoring Committee and donors, has made arrangements to flavour the milk for the children, who more often than not frown upon drinking milk. The idea has become an instant hit.<br /><br />The school had readied Badam milk which was distributed by C Shikha, Deputy Commissioner, marking the launch of the event. <br /><br />Uma V E, Headmistress, said, the school would mix ‘ragi’ malt and other flavours to encourage students to drink milk. <br /><br />B M Annapoorna, student of 10th ‘A’, was happy that underprivileged fellow students too would get an opportunity to drink the milk everyday. Pushpa T S, her classmate, said, the government’s initiative of providing milk along with midday meals would help students gain more nutrition. <br /><br />Shikha said that the initiative of the government would help tackling the malnutrition problem. Milk, with essential nutrients like calcium would play a major role in a child’s development. She suggested that students to drink milk everyday even at home. <br /><br />Shikha enquired about the arrangements made for preservation of milk powder and distribution of milk, Uma said that the powder is preserved in air tight containers and filtered water would be used to prepare the milk. <br /><br />Akshara Dasoha workers told the DC that the powder would be converted into semi-liquid form with five litres of warm water and later the same would be diluted in hot water before giving it to children. <br /><br />A total of 2.22 lakh students of government schools and 59,000 students of aided schools and 1,44,138 Anganwadi children will be benefitted in the district. <br /><br />While Anganwadi children will be given skimmed milk powder, school students will get whole milk powder, both of them under the Nandini brand. About 18 gms of the milk powder (per child) will be converted into liquid milk by the Akshara Dasoha workers using 150 ml of water for the said quantity. <br /><br />It is mandatory that students get 150 ml of milk every alternate day of the week - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, students studying in Urdu schools will receive milk on Saturday and not Friday. <br /><br />A handbill of instructions to use the milk powder was released on the occasion.Shikha also inaugurated four toilet facilities at the school. The toilets were built using funds of Rs 16 lakh, donated by The South Indian Paper Mills Ltd. <br /><br /></p>
<p>“Milk was never so tasty before,” exclaimed Mayappa, a ninth standard student, Government High School, Tandavapura, Nanjangud taluk, Mysore after slurping down the milk distributed at his school, on Thursday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>It was the launch of the State government’s ambitious scheme ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ where milk was distributed to school children aside from Anganwadis. A total of 346 children in the school at Tandavapura later stood in the queue to get their share of ‘a glass of milk’.<br /><br />Though plain milk powder is supplied by Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), the school though School Development and Monitoring Committee and donors, has made arrangements to flavour the milk for the children, who more often than not frown upon drinking milk. The idea has become an instant hit.<br /><br />The school had readied Badam milk which was distributed by C Shikha, Deputy Commissioner, marking the launch of the event. <br /><br />Uma V E, Headmistress, said, the school would mix ‘ragi’ malt and other flavours to encourage students to drink milk. <br /><br />B M Annapoorna, student of 10th ‘A’, was happy that underprivileged fellow students too would get an opportunity to drink the milk everyday. Pushpa T S, her classmate, said, the government’s initiative of providing milk along with midday meals would help students gain more nutrition. <br /><br />Shikha said that the initiative of the government would help tackling the malnutrition problem. Milk, with essential nutrients like calcium would play a major role in a child’s development. She suggested that students to drink milk everyday even at home. <br /><br />Shikha enquired about the arrangements made for preservation of milk powder and distribution of milk, Uma said that the powder is preserved in air tight containers and filtered water would be used to prepare the milk. <br /><br />Akshara Dasoha workers told the DC that the powder would be converted into semi-liquid form with five litres of warm water and later the same would be diluted in hot water before giving it to children. <br /><br />A total of 2.22 lakh students of government schools and 59,000 students of aided schools and 1,44,138 Anganwadi children will be benefitted in the district. <br /><br />While Anganwadi children will be given skimmed milk powder, school students will get whole milk powder, both of them under the Nandini brand. About 18 gms of the milk powder (per child) will be converted into liquid milk by the Akshara Dasoha workers using 150 ml of water for the said quantity. <br /><br />It is mandatory that students get 150 ml of milk every alternate day of the week - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, students studying in Urdu schools will receive milk on Saturday and not Friday. <br /><br />A handbill of instructions to use the milk powder was released on the occasion.Shikha also inaugurated four toilet facilities at the school. The toilets were built using funds of Rs 16 lakh, donated by The South Indian Paper Mills Ltd. <br /><br /></p>
