Date: 28-10-2020

To,

Principal Secretary to the Government,

Department of Primary and Secondary Education Department

Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru

Sub: Regarding re-starting Mid-day meals and Ksheera Bhagya for school children in Karnataka

We are a group of nutritionists, doctors, activists, lawyers and citizens, who are shocked and concerned that the Government of Karnataka has not been providing the legally mandated Mid-day meal or even dry rations since June 2020 to children enrolled in government-run and government-aided schools, which is a gross violation of their right to food and nutrition guaranteed under the National Food Security Act 2013. Additionally, the provisioning of milk (powder) under the Ksheera Bhagya programme of the government has also been discontinued since June 2020.

It is well known that Karnataka has dismal indicators when it comes to nutrition. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 4th round (2015), In Karnataka, most children are not reaching their ideal height and weight, with stunting (less height for age) of 39%, undernutrition (less weight for age) of 40%, more in Scheduled caste (SC) and Scheduled tribe (ST) children and anemia of 56% even before starting their school life at 6 years.

Role of the Mid Day Meal Scheme

The Mid Day Meal Scheme, launched in 1995, was introduced to ensure that children going to government schools have at least one nutritious meal in a day and this was also hoped to increase school attendance and performance. Under the National Food security Act (NFSA) governments are legally mandated to meet nutritional standards of the MDM. A well planned meal is expected to meet the dietary requirements of 450 – 700 cal and 15-20 gm of protein.

In a letter dated 20-03-2020, Joint Secretary (EE.I), Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, reiterated the obligation of state governments to provide nutritional entitlements under NFSA even during the closure of schools because of COVID-19 pandemic.

In a subsequent letter dated 29-04-2020 sent by Joint Secretary (EE.I), Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, guidelines were laid down regarding provision of Food Security Allowance both for school months as well as summer vacations.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 18.03.2020 in Suo Moto Writ Petition (Civil) No. 02/2020, observed that “Non-supply of nutritional food to the children as well as lactating and nursing mothers may lead to large-scale malnourishment. Particularly, the children and the lactating and nursing mothers in rural as well as tribal area are prone to such mal-nourishment. Such mal-nutrition may affect their immunity system and as such, such children and lactating and nursing mothers would be more prone to catch the infection….while dealing with one crisis, the situation may not lead to creation of another crisis…………In that view of the matter, it is necessary, that all the States should come out with a uniform policy so as to ensure, that while preventing spread of COVID-19, the schemes for providing nutritional food to the children and nursing and lactating mothers are not adversely affected”.

The National Human Rights Commission in its ‘Human Rights Advisory for Protection of the Rights of Children in the context of COVID-19’ dated 29-09-2020 recommended to “Re-start MDMS to provide hot cooked meal or dry rations to every child, including children who have migrated, even if schools are shut so that they do not slip into malnutrition” and “Proactively monitor the delivery of services on the ground to ensure that no child is excluded from MDMs/dry rations”.

Denial of Mid-day Meals by the Government of Karnataka

When schools closed because of COVID-19 in March and midday meals were stopped for around 48 lakh children from classes 1-10, the State government provided ration kits that included rice and toor dal for three months till May. However, it has not distributed rations to students for five months from June to October.

Thus the government of Karnataka is violating the rights of children on multiple fronts and actively contributing to further aggravate the current nutritional crisis. It is also to be noted that many of the children in government-run and government aided schools are predominantly from Dalit, minority and Adivasi communities. Therefore this also amounts to state perpetrated discrimination.

Inclusion of eggs in the Mid-day Meal Scheme

As per the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), one egg weighing 60 gm would provide around 100 kcal of energy and 8 gm of protein as well as most of the other vitamins and minerals required for proper functioning of the body, except Vitamin C. The NIN recommends consumption of at least 3 eggs per week in view of several nutritional advantages. There have been several demands for eggs in the mid-day meal from civil society, parents and children in Karnataka.

Several states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal have been providing eggs as part of their MDM programme. Odisha became the latest to join this group of progressive states, after the state government directed the ISKCON-linked NGO Akshay Patra to provide eggs. Karnataka is the only southern Indian state not to provide eggs as part of MDM, largely because of the opposition from certain religious groups.

94% students studying in schools run by the government or aided by it, belong to communities, a majority of which have no objection to inclusion of eggs in MDM. Thus, the opposition of few communities against inclusion of eggs in MDM amounts to imposition of food practices of a minority on the majority and effective denial of nutrition to 94% children studying in these schools. As per the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) at least 83% of the state’s population doesn’t have any cultural or religious objections to consumption of eggs. One should also note that eggs are already being provided at anganwaadis to severely and acutely malnourished (SAM) children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

However, eggs are not provided by the State government for the last several years citing religious reasons. Therefore a simple and scientific means of providing calories and proteins are lost to the children.

We demand that the government urgently take following measures:-

1. Immediate provision of dry rations for all the pending months since May, and no further delays in future
2. Along with dry rations, milk powder should be provided to the school-children under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme of the state government for all pending months since July and on a regular and prompt basis for the subsequent months till the opening of the schools.
3. Eggs at the rate of at least 5 per week per child should be mandatorily provided to the children. Only eggs can provide highly bioavailable protein (one 60 gm egg provides 8 gm of high quality protein). This has to be sanctioned on a priority basis.

We request all concerned people to endorse this letter demanding that the Government of Karnataka provide nutritious food IMMEDIATELY to the children of the state.

Endorsed by

S. NO.	Name	Organisation/Affiliation
1	A.T. Gokul Bharathi	Student
2	Aarti Bhatt MD	Pediatrician—CAR
3	Abhijeet	University of agricultural sciences Dharwad
4	Abhishek Divakar	Swaraj Abhiyan
5	ABHISHEK Patil	Student
6	Adwitee Roy	Chennai Mathematical Institute, PhD student
7	Akshatha	Annapoorneshwari mahila sangha
8	Alwyn	Sangama
9	Alwyn D’Souza	Indian Social Institute, Bengaluru
10	Amrutha .S	Chamundeswari mahila sanga
11	Ananthalakshmi	Kabbalamma mahila sanga
12	Anil	Center for non formal and continuing education
13	Anitha	Moogumaramma mahila sangha
14	Annie Raja	NFIW
15	Anurag P	–
16	Arati Chokshi	Citizen
17	Arpitha	Kabbalamma mahila sangha
18	Arul Anthony	BUNNJI telecom – Melbourne Australia
19	Arul Pandian	Bunnji Telecom – Melbourne Australia
20	Ashwini	Mooguttamma mahila sangha
21	Asmita Ghosh	Concerned Citizen
22	AV	Institute of Public Health
23	Avani Chokshi	CPI(ML) Liberation
24	Ayesha Siddika	Chamundeshwari mahila sanga
25	Ayyappa Manvi	DPI MANVI
26	B. Sripad bhat	SSJ, Bangalore
27	Balu Raju	Bangalore Dalit Forum
28	Bharamanna Tippanna Chakrasali	Holycross Social Service Centre Mainalli
29	Chandini	Annapoorneshwari mahila sangha
30	Chinu Srinivasan	Locost
31	D T SRINIVAASAMURTHY	Social Welfare And Rural Development Society
32	D. Albert	Snehasadan
33	Debarati	TISS Hyderabad
34	Deepa M	Sri Ranganatha Mahila sanga
35	Deepika	Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
36	Deepika	–
37	Deepti Bharti	National Federation of Indian Women
38	Dev Desai	ANHAD
39	Devika	Lakshminarasimha swamy mahila sangha
40	Devika singh	Member , Alliance for the right to ECDCD
41	Dhanya	–
42	Dinesh M Pol	IIIT Dharwad
43	Dinesh VENKATESWARAN	Civil society
44	Dr Arun Gupta	Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI)
45	Dr Gopal Dabade	Drug Action Forum -Karnataka
46	Dr Milind R	Kalyan karnataka Edu & Rur Dev Society NGO
47	Dr Srinivasa Kakkilaya	Physician, Mangaluru
48	Dr. Antony K R	Independent Public Health Consultant
49	Dr. C T Anitha	Public Health Specialist
50	Dr. Imrana Qadeer	Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development
51	Dr. Joseph Xavier SJ	Indian Social Institute
52	Dr. K B Obalesh	Thamate/ safaikarmachari kavalu samithi-Karnataka
53	Dr. Mohan Rao	Independent researcher in Bangalore.
54	Dr. Suhas Kolhekar	Health Rights Activist/NAPM
55	Dr. Sylvia Karpagam	Public Health Doctor
56	Dr. Veena Shatrugna	Medical scientist ( Rtd.)
57	Dulsine Crasta	Shanthi Sandesha Trust, Resource and Development Centre on Child Rights, Mangalore
58	Eldred Tellis	Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust
59	Ethiraj V	Trade unionist
60	Eveleen Benis	School of Social Work
61	Fatema Hunaid	Self
62	Fatema Hunaid	Self
63	Firdouse Khan	FORWARD TRUST
64	G Ravi	Disability Rights Activist
65	G Thiraviyam	Fourth Wave Foundation, Bengaluru
66	Gamana Mahila Samuha	Organisation
67	Gayithri	Lakshminarasimha swamy mahila sangha
68	Gurumurthy Kasinathan	IT for Change
69	Haajer Khan	Researcher, Teacher
70	Hari Adivarekar	Independent Photojournalist
71	Harini Srinivasan	Writer and Organic farmer
72	Ian Lobo	Thinkers Tribe
73	Inayat Singh Kakar	Independent
74	Jagadesh	Dalits Intellectual Forum
75	Jalla Lalithamma	Peoples Organization for Rural Development (PORD)
76	Jayamma	Kabbalamma mahila sangha
77	Jehad Nasser	None
78	Jerald DSouza	Loyola Vikas Kendra
79	Jerrald Dsouza	Ashirvad Social Concern
80	Josmitha D Souza	Janatha Kendra
81	ಕಲ್ಪನಾಶಿವಣ್ಣ	ಚಿಗುರು ಬಾಲವಿಕಾಸ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ (ರಿ)ಮಾಗಡಿ, ರಾಮನಗರ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ, ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷೆ
82	K Naveen	M.A in Public Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
83	Kapila Gureja	Lok Manch
84	Kathyayini Chamaraj	Executive Trustee, CIVIC Bangalore
85	Kavitha srinivasan	MAKAAM
86	Khizere alam	Swaraj India
87	kiran kamal prasad	JEEVIKA-Jeeeta Vimukti Karnataka
88	Kiran kumar	Student
89	Komala	Mooguttamma mahila sangha
90	Lakshamamma	CIRW ANEKAL
91	Lakshmamma	Muguttamma Mahila shanga
92	LAKSHMAN E	Ex secretary and sr leader of CANARA BANK STAFF FEDERATION BANGALORE
93	Lakshman janekal	Dalit Panther of india
94	Lalitha	Moogumaramma mahila sangha
95	Lalitha Matthew	Private
96	Latifa	Health group
97	Lokesh kumar	Amrithabhoomi
98	M Rajappa	CIRW ANEKAL
99	M.S.Jayalakshmi	Grameena Mahila Okkuta
100	Mabel Pinto	Deepalaya Social Service Centre Indi
101	Madan Mondal	Head Teacher of Kumarchak Primary School, under Haldia Circle.
102	Madhu	Janapriya Seva Kendra
103	Madhu Bhushan	Women’s rights activist
104	Mahadevappa Devar	Spandana Swayame Seva Samste, Vijayapur
105	Maimoona Mollah	JMS, Delhi
106	Malarvizhi	Individual
107	Malleshwari	Bangalore Dalit Forum
108	Mamatha yajaman	Gamana mahila samuha
109	Manisha	Indian
110	Manjula	Lakshmi Mahila sangha
111	Manjula	Lakshminarasimha swamy mahila sangha
112	Manjula	Chamundeshwari mahila sangha
113	Manu Chowdhuri C	Individual
114	Mariam Dhawale	All India Democratic Women’s Association
115	Md. Shafiuddin	Sahayog ngo
116	Meena	Moogumaramma mahila sangha
117	Meenakshi	Karnataka Domestic workers union
118	Mereena Joseph	Janatha kendra
119	Mohammad Nas	Bangalore
120	Mohammed Ummer	Project Smile Trust
121	Mohan R	Jana Chinthana Kendra
122	Moyyudin Kutti	President , Karnataka SDMC Coordination Foroum, Mangalore
123	Mubina Jamdar	Freedom dietitians
124	Mukhtar	Concerned Citizen
125	N Manu Chakravarthy	Visiting Professor of English,THE NATIONAL COLLEGE, BASAVANAGUDI
126	N. Jayaram	PUCL
127	Naavu Bharathiyaru	Karnataka
128	Nagaragere Ramesh	P D F
129	Nagarathna	Lakshminarasimha swamy mahila sangha
130	Nagarathna BM	Asare
131	Nagati Narayana	Center for Educational Studies (CESS)
132	Namitha HR	Shree Lakshmi mahila sangha
133	Nandini	Mooguttamma mahila sangha
134	Narendra babu	CIRW ANEKA
135	Naveen	Enginaeer
136	Nawaz Aman	Concerned citizen
137	Nayan M	Jhatkaa.org
138	Nayaz Khan A	Chinthana Foundation
139	Neelmani Singh	SARC
140	Neeta Alva	St. Joseph High School
141	Neha saigal	Development consultant
142	Nidhin Sasi	IT Employee
143	Niki Nirvikalpa	Pedestrian pictures
144	Niranjanaradhya V.P.	CCL-NLSIU, National Law School of India University
145	Noor Fatima	Environmentalist
146	Nuzra	Student
147	Padmini Kumar	Joint women’s Programme
148	Pavithra	Annapoorneshwari mahila sangha
149	Pooja Jhorar	Rajasthan Gramin Aajeevika Parishad
150	Poornima	Student
151	Poornima	Moogumaramma mahila sangha
152	Prabhavathi	Chamundeshwari mahila sangha
153	Prabir KC	Doctor
154	Pradeep Esteves	Context India
155	Prajwal K Aradhya	Advocate
156	Prajwala Hegde	Independent journalist
157	Prakash Dole	REACH Bidar
158	Pramila J Vaz	Proffessional Social worker
159	Prashanti Ganesh	Total Strength System LLP
160	Pratik Roy	IIT Madras
161	Praveenkumar G koradakera	University of agricultural Sciences Raichur
162	Preeti Edakunny, PhD	EEL
163	Prof. G. Devegowda	Emeritus Professor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
164	Pruthvisagar c s	Karnatak science College Dharwad
165	Puja Shukla	Student
166	R Ravishankar	–
167	Radha	Om shakti mahila sangha
168	Radha Holla	Right to Food Campaign
169	Rahul	Dr Ambedkar Vichara Vedika
170	Rajamma	Kabbalamma mahila sangha
171	Rajarajeshwari	Jagruta mahila okkuta
172	Ramya	Chamundeshwari mahila sangha
173	Reshma	ActionAid
174	Roopa	Mookambika Mahila Sangha
175	Rosamma Thomas	Freelance journalist
176	Rukmini VP	Garment Labour Union
177	Rumi Harish	Alternative Law Forum
178	Sagar S	Tech Mahindra
179	Saheli Women’s Resource Center	Saheli Women’s Resource Center, New Delhi NCR
180	Sainath Rajole	Engineer
181	Sandeep Sangshetty Devke	–
182	Sandya	Mooguttamma mahila sangha
183	Sanjana KR	Amc engineering college
184	Santhosh Wilson Walder	Loyola Vikasa Kendra
185	Saraswathi	Om shakti mahila sangha
186	Sashikala Attige	CFI Loyola Janaspoorthi SHG Trust
187	Sathya S	Commune, Communication Consultancy
188	Sebastian Devaraj	FEDINA
189	Shaila Rosario	Center for Nonformal Education
190	Shakun Doundiyakhed	Gamana Mahila Samuha
191	Shanta	Om shakti mahila sangha
192	Shantha R	Manila shakthi vedike Harohalli
193	Shantharaj T.	Centre for Integral Rural Welfare, Anekal
194	Sharada	Mooguttamma mahila sangha
195	Sharada	Mooguttamma mahila sangha
196	Sharada Gopal	Jagruta Mahila Okkuta
197	Shardha Rajam	Batch of 2019, NUJS
198	Sharol Saldanha	Center for Nonformal Education
199	Shashank SR	Research Scholar, National Institute of Advanced Studies
200	Shashikala	CIRW ANEKAL
201	Shashikala	Annapoorneshwari mahila sangha
202	Shazin Siddiqui	Human Collective
203	Shilpa	Chamundeshwari mahila sangha
204	Shiva Shankar	Visiting professor, IIT Bombay
205	Shivali Tukdeo	NIAS
206	Shobha BR	Mahila shakthi vedike
207	Shuvendu Dan	ALL BENGAL PRIMARY TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION
208	Shwetha	Om shakti mahila sangha
209	Siddharth K J	Independent researcher, Bengaluru
210	Sowmya	Annapoorneshwari mahila sangha
211	Sr. Celia	Napm Karnataka
212	Sr. Jacintha	School
213	Suchitra	Chamundeshwari mahila sangha
214	Sudha	Chamundeshwari mahila sangha
215	Sudha Reddy	CCL, NLSIU
216	Suguna	Lakshminarasimha swamy mahila sangha
217	Sujitha V	All India Queer Association
218	Sukanya	Moogumaramma mahila sangha
219	Sulakshana Nandi	Public Health Researcher
220	Sunanda	Om shakti mahila sangha
221	Supreeth Gopal	Mechanical Engineer
222	Suresha K	Chaitanya Global Foundation (R.)
223	Susheela	CIRW ANEKAL
224	Sushrut Jadhav	Professor of Cultural Psychiatry, University College London
225	Swarna bhat	GRAKOOS
226	Syeda Hajeera Iqbal	Forward Trust, Bengaluru
227	Tanvi Kanchan	IT for Change
228	Teena Shivani	Student at ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF SPEECH AND HEARING
229	Teyol Machado	Center for Non Formal Education, Bijapur
230	U. Premachandra	Retired PSU Executive
231	Uma	Lakshminarasimha swamy mahila sangha
232	V S Sreedhara	Peoples’ Democratic Forum
233	Valentine Dsouza	Holy Cross Sisters
234	Vandana Prasad	Pediatrician
235	Vandana Srivastava	Centre for Learning
236	Varalakshmi	Moogumaramma mahila sangha
237	Veronica VS	Advocate
238	Vijay	CIRW ANEKAL
239	Vinayak	Student
240	Yogesh K S	IT for Change

Files

Media Coverage

• The Hindu, ‘Doctors, activists, lawyers petition govt. to provide ration in schools‘, Oct 28, 2020.
• EdexLive, ‘Activists, doctors accuse K’taka govt of stopping midday meals, urge it to add egg as food item‘, Oct 28, 2020.
• The Times of India, ‘Karnataka: Resume midday meal rations for schoolchildren, say experts‘, Oct 29, 2020.
• The News Minute, “Activists say K’taka govt’s delay to give dry ration to students will worsen nutrition crisis“, Oct 29, 2020.
• The Hindu, ‘Govt. releases ₹449 crore for dry ration kits for students‘, Nov 3, 2020.
• The News Minute,”Karnataka government to finally provide pending dry ration kits to school students“, Nov 3, 2020.

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