LUCKNOW: Students at govt schools in UP will be served ‘bajre ka laddu’ and roasted chickpeas (bhuna chana) in the mid-day meals every Thursday from Nov to provide them with better nutrition with additional supplements. This will be accompanied by seasonal vegetables and moong dal.
A govt order issued by the director, mid-day meal authority of UP, Kanchan Verma, regarding changes in the menu said that children will also have an option to relish ‘ramdana ke laddu’ and gajak made of jaggery, sesame and groundnut instead of bajre ka laddu as per the availability in different districts.
In case of Thursday being a holiday, the supplementary nutrition, to continue till March end, will be served on the next working day. The additional nutrition will be given before teaching begins in school.
School heads have been asked to prepare a utilisation report for the supplementary nutrition for each month and make it available to the block education office, who will further send it to the basic education office.
Over 1.8 crore children enrolled in 1.3 lakh public schools in UP get chapati, pulses, seasonal vegetables, including soybean and one seasonal fruit on Monday; rice along with vegetable and dal on Tuesday and Saturday; rice with soybean and seasonal vegetables on Wednesday and Friday; chapatis, dal and vegetables on Thursday. The Thursday menu also mentions ‘bajre ki khichdi’, but its procurement is still awaited.
Compared to staple grains like rice or wheat, millet has better nutritional value. “They are nutrient-dense and making them a part of regular meals can improve malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency among the masses, especially in children,” said a nutrition expert in mid-day meal authority.
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