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Students of classes 1 to 8 in TN schools to get top class noon meals with 9 important nutrients!!
Posted on: 23/Oct/2021 9:38:02 AM
From 1st of November 2021, direct physical or offline classes would commence for the students studying in the classes 1 to 8 in various schools in Tamil Nadu. These students would be provided with highly nutritious food at noon.
According to the norms of the government every student must get the required amounts of proteins and calories. During the lockdown due to the Coronavirus infection pandemic it was not possible for the authorities to monitor whether these students got the required proteins and calories.
Point to be taken into account is that even in the lockdown the school students were issued dry rations like rice, eggs, dhal etc.
On all working days, students would be given eggs for protein. This was mentioned by a senior official. He added that a noon meal would be highly nutritious and would have fortified rice with 9 important nutrients like vitamin A, B1 B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, iron and zinc etc.
He shed light on the pilot project of fortified rice with 3 nutrients such as iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 that would be implemented soon. It must be taken into note that an amount of Rs 2078.70 has been allotted for the noon meal scheme for the school students in TN for 2021-22.The students would soon get iron, folic acid and de-worming tablets and health cards would also be maintained for each student. It is clear that students studying classes 1 to 5 would get 557 calories and 19gms of protein and it is higher than the union government’s norm of 450 calories and 12gms of protein.
The centre has specified the norms for upper primary class students and that is 700 calories and 20gms of protein and it is now said that the authorities would make sure that each upper primary class student gets 735 calories and 23gms of protein. The Saturdays would be working days for the school students as the portions need to be covered before March. It is learnt that the authorities have been discussing providing noon meals even on Saturdays for additional nutrition.
The official concluded that gas connections would be provided and steps would be taken for ISO certification of these centres as a part of modernisation of noon meal centres. It must not be forgotten that this noon meal scheme was first launched by the former CM of Tamil Nadu Mr. Kamaraj in the year 1956 in Tamil Nadu.
