Solapur zilla parishad revamps schools to improve standard of mid-day meals

In an attempt to enhance nutritional standards of midday meals and ensure they are cooked in hygienic conditions the Solapur zilla parishad has started an initiative to revamp school kitchens and allocated Rs 25 crore in its budget for this purpose reported news agency PTIThe Solapur zilla parishads Amrit Rasoi initiative will ensure that school kitchens are equipped with appliances dining tables water purifiers gas cylinders utensils and other essential paraphernalia an official said reported PTIA total of 1500 schools that come under the zilla parishad will be covered in the programme which has already been implemented on a pilot basis in 30 to 40 schools in Karmala tehsil said Manoj Raut the block development officer BDO of KarmalaSolapur zilla parishads Chief Executive Officer CEO Manisha Awahle started the endeavour after she saw the neglected state of kitchens and the substandard conditions in which food was prepared during her inspection visits to schools reported PTIThe zilla parishad recently allocated Rs 25 crore for the Amrit Rasoi projectTalking to PTI Awahle said I found that kitchens lacked necessary utensils basic appliances like refrigerators mixer grinders and water purifiers I was especially concerned to see vegetables stored at the houses of helpers in the absence of proper storage facilitiesUnsettled by these conditions she stressed the need for equipping school kitchens with essential amenities during coordination meetings with district officialsShe urged officials at the panchayat samiti level to prioritise revamping kitchensIn this project the emphasis will be on maintaining cleanliness and hygiene by keeping infestation at bay in the kitchen areaTo enhance the dining experience we are focusing on setting up dining tables so that students dont have to sit on the floor to eat Awahle said reported PTIWhile it costs around Rs 1 lakh to set up a basic kitchen each school has been granted Rs 3 lakh to create dining areas as well she said reported PTIKarmala BDO Raut who took the lead in implementing the project said he selected several schools in his area and revamped their kitchens with the help of available funds and support from the gram panchayatVilas Siral the headmaster of a primary school in Khadki village where the school kitchen has been revamped said that earlier storing vegetables and eggs was a challenge without a refrigerator reported PTIThanks to Raut sir and the zilla parishad we can now store vegetables for longer periods In addition to the refrigerator we have also been provided utensils aprons caps sanitisers and cleaning materials to ensure the kitchen remains clean he said reported PTIRanjana Unde the village development officer of Khadki said that the gram panchayat supplied a refrigerator gas stoves a mixergrinder utensils a pressure cooker plates glasses and spoons reported PTIThe total cost of these items was Rs 76000 and we are committed to supporting the school to ensure that the nutritional aspect is prioritised Unde said reported PTIWith inputs from PTI