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After super fine rice, organic veggies for hostels
After super fine rice, the Telangana government has taken another bold decision to improve health standards of the pupils of residential educational institutions, including the recently-launched Gurukulams for the SC, ST and minority communities in the state. From now onwards, the students would be served food prepared with high nutritional supplements using organic vegetables in the institutions
Hyderabad: After super fine rice, the Telangana government has taken another bold decision to improve health standards of the pupils of residential educational institutions, including the recently-launched Gurukulams for the SC, ST and minority communities in the state. From now onwards, the students would be served food prepared with high nutritional supplements using organic vegetables in the institutions throughout the state.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao embarked on the new initiative of providing organic food to the students following reports that the vegetables used in the preparation of food in the regular menu were found contaminated with hazardous chemicals which could harm the health of students.
It may be mentioned here that the KCR government introduced super fine rice in all government residential institutions in 2015 as part of providing nutritious food to the poor students. Since the availability of organic vegetables is scarce in the market, the educational institutions would develop ‘Vegetable Parks’ to grow vegetables on their own using organic compost in the schools and college premises in the districts.
The Education Department in coordination with the Horticulture Department would grow required vegetables involving students, teaching and non-teaching staff in the institution.
The local panchayats were also entrusted with the responsibility of identifying vacant government lands around schools premises, regular supply of water and compost to develop vegetable
An experimental cultivation has already been taken up in Nizamabad district on pilot basis and the results are overwhelming, Horticulture Commissioner L Venkatrami Reddy said, adding that the special funds earmarked to the residential institutions would be utilised to grow different vegetables seasonally. The local officials of the Horticulture Department would teach the techniques required to the staff in the cultivation.
Vegetables grown in the institutions in villages would also be supplied to the residential schools in the urban areas and to such municipalities which face space constraint to grow vegetables on their own.
Officials of the Education Department said the development of Vegetable Parks in the institutions would help to promote self-sustainability and encourage next generations to adapt healthy life style. Besides, students would also acquire knowledge about the importance of organic cultivation which is gaining popularity in the farming sector during the recent years.
By Patan Afzal Babu
