Abrupt end to midday meals in 2 Vizag Steel Plant-run schools

Visakhapatnam: Sudden suspension of midday meals in Visakha Vimala Vidyalayam schools operated by the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) causes inconvenience to students.

The two branches of the school located at BC Road, Pedagantyada and Ukkunagaram Township had earlier entered into an agreement with Akshaya Patra Foundation in 2018 to provide midday meals to the poor students through its CSR initiative.

However, the scheme was withdrawn all of a sudden in both the schools two days ago. ''A number of students belonging to economically backward families study in these schools. It is very pathetic that the provision of meals was withdrawn without any prior intimation,'' lamented Penti Raju, an alumnus of the school.

Meanwhile, parents of the students got worried after knowing the development as many of them belong to lower and middle income groups. About 3,000 children study in both the schools and more than half of them avail the midday meals.

Most of them are the children of contract workers, auto-rickshaw drivers, daily labourers and those working in small scale industries. Also, many students suffer from lack of nutritious food. On behalf of the students, parents appealed to the school management of the steel plant to resume midday meals for the students at the earliest.