Midday meal egg supply hit by halt in new gas connections

Hubballi: Thanks to the halt in new gas connections, govt schools in the district are finding it difficult to serve boiled eggs to the students, under the midday meal scheme.Following the West Asia crisis, the govt has stopped issuing new gas connections. State govt had recently provided funds for kitchen items and gas connections to the schools. The crisis has now hit the midday meal scheme. School managements, for a long time, have been asking the govt to provide cooking gas and other tools to boil eggs for the students. Though the govt provided funds to purchase the tools this time, the schools are now facing a new problem, as there is a halt in new gas connections. The management is worried, as the schools are scheduled to reopen on May 29.As announced in the budget for 2025-26, a grant was deposited by the govt to ensure that the 991 schools in the district get LPG cylinders to boil eggs, a supplementary nutritious food under the midday meal scheme. But the schools not getting the gas connection may hinder the supply of boiled eggs.Roopa Puramkar, education officer of Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakthi Nirman (midday meal), said that the govt has closed the new gas connection due to the crisis. “I had written separate letters to the HP Gas Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited seeking new connections to the schools, on March 31. DC Snehal R also told the corporation to provide new connections to the schools.”Puramkar said that earlier, most schools managed to bring boiled eggs from contractors, while midday workers in some schools were given the task of boiling the eggs. “Later we requested that proper kitchen tools and gas be provided to the schools to ensure boiled eggs are supplied to the students,” she added.Fakkirayya Hiremath, govt school Chalamati, SDMC president said, “New gas connections are essential and the schools will reopen from May 29. The officials will have to talk to the oil corporation and provide new connections before schools reopen. If not, then we have to manage to boil the eggs,” he said.