JOIN USZP conducts training workshop for mid-day meal workers
Deputy Director of Public Instruction Department Anjinappa called upon personnel of mid-day meal programme to lay stress on taste and cleanliness while preparing food for school children.
He was speaking at ‘Shuchi-Ruchi’, a training workshop organised by Zilla Panchayat for the school chief cooks and their assistants at T Channaiah Rangamandira in the city on Thursday.
He said chief cooks and their assistants should give importance to safety of children while cooking if they move around them. In some incidents, children have fallen into hot food vessels and died. They should ensure safety while cooking food. Also, the kitchen and cooking vessels should always be kept clean, he added.
Anjinappa said men have more expertise in cooking than women. Men are good cooks. But they lack love and affection.Therefore, the government has employed women as assistants to prepare food for children, he observed.
District Mid-day Meal Project Officer S N Kannaiah said Rs 38 crore is being spent on the project in the district every year. The scheme is benefiting about 1.40 lakh students, he stated.
Kannaiah said no fire accidents or any other mishaps were reported in the district last year.
He said Akshara Dasoha, Arogya Dasoha and Anna Dasoha are important for all people in the society. Cleanliness and safety are the two important formulas of Akshara Dasoha. The responsibility of implementing the mid-day meal programme lies on the shoulders of the cooks. Children will be affected if they show negligence towards their work.
Therefore, the personnel are being trained every year, he explained.
A handbook on safety measures to be taken in school kitchens was released on the occasion.
Zilla Panchayat Member Mangamma, District Fire and Emergency Services Department Officer Raghavendra, District Health Education Officer Jayanna, Taluk Education Officer Jagadeesh, Taluk Mid-day Meal Assistant Director Balaji, District Rotary President Gopal Reddy and Ksheera Bhagya Project Nodal Officer Prasad took part in the workshop.