Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 23: As many as 40,53,332 students studying between first to eighth standards in the state will get the cost of providing midday meals for the months of May and June by credit to their individual bank accounts. The government has asked the students who are not attending schools because of Covid to open bank accounts.

Even though classes were held, May and June months have been treated by the government as summer holidays. Food grains relating to the midday meals have already reached the students. Now the cost of cooking for the 50 days during these two months will be disbursed to accounts. For the students of first to fifth standard, cost will be paid at Rs 4.97 per day and for the sixth to eighth standard children, Rs 7.45 per day is being paid. For 50 days, students from first to fifth standard will get Rs 248.50 and sixth to eighth standard students will get Rs 372.50.Officials say that food grains for the 50 days have already reached the children and this credit is being made to make sure that the children are not deprived of the cost of cooking.

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The cost reimbursement is being made for summer holidays. Padmavathi Shetty, president of Karnataka State Akshara Dasoha Employees Association says that this order should not be implemented as this is against the very aim and spirit of Akshara Dasoha scheme.

There is however a problem in opening bank accounts in the name of students that too for such petty amounts. Students who are in first to eighth standards in the year 2021-22 have to open accounts with nationalised banks or post offices. However, superintendent of post, Mangaluru, Sriharsha, says that talks are already on between midday meal scheme officials with the postal department about opening of zero balance accounts for the children. He said that the post office will be opening these accounts with the support of the heads of the schools concerned.