Hyderabad: Students in government junior colleges will be served mid-day meals from the forthcoming 2026-27 academic year, the Cabinet led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy decided here on Saturday. The Cabinet also gave its nod for introduction of a breakfast scheme in all government schools and junior colleges.
The decision to roll out breakfast and mid-day meal programmes in government schools and junior colleges is expected to benefit nearly 25 lakh students. The initiative is aimed at reducing dropout rates and improving student attendance, particularly in rural areas where many students travel long distances to attend educational institutions.
Officials estimate that around two lakh Intermediate students studying in 430 government junior colleges will directly benefit from the extension of the mid-day meal scheme.
The government has partnered with the Akshaya Patra Foundation for preparation and distribution of meals through an expanded network of centralised kitchens. According to initial estimates, the programme is expected to involve an annual expenditure of around `100 crore to `120 crore, with the cost of each meal estimated at between `20 and `25 per student.
The primary objective of the scheme was to address the problem of rural students leaving early from colleges or discontinuing education due to lack of access to nutritious food during afternoon hours.
Under the breakfast programme, students will be provided nutritious food supplements, including milk three days a week and ragi malt on the remaining three days. The lunch menu under the mid-day meal scheme is expected to include a variety of nutritious items such as vegetable biryani, green leafy vegetable dal, khichdi, mixed vegetable curry, sambar and rice.
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