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News18
08-07-2025
- General
- News18
Bananas Over Eggs: 568 Karnataka Schools Face Action For Flouting Midday Meal Norms
Last Updated: Several schools were found replacing eggs with bananas on specific days like Mondays and Saturdays. The banana vs egg controversy is back in focus in Karnataka. The School Education and Literacy Department has issued notices to 568 government schools across the state for violating midday meal norms by serving bananas instead of eggs without proper consent or approval. Several schools were found replacing eggs with bananas on specific days like Mondays and Saturdays, or alternating between the two across the week, without informing parents or obtaining clearance from the department. Some were serving eggs only two or three days a week. The state believes that lapses in nutritional delivery could severely hamper the well-being of students and undermine efforts to tackle malnutrition through the midday meal scheme. A recent inspection conducted by the Azim Premji Foundation which has signed a partnership with the Karnataka government as part of three-year nutrition programme across 762 schools revealed that these schools were flouting norms. Under the existing state order, eggs are to be served six days a week to students from Class 1 to 10. Bananas are to be given only to those who have opted out of eggs on religious or personal grounds based on the child's and parental consent. The notice to the erring schools stated, 'In some schools, the SDMC has held meetings and decided to distribute eggs only on selected days and bananas on the rest. Even after obtaining parental consent for eggs, some schools unilaterally chose to replace them with bananas. 'It has been observed that the SDMC has ignored the instructions of the department by taking such actions," said the notice. The department has warned of disciplinary action and taken serious note of supervisory failures. It warned that principals and supervisory officials at the cluster, taluk, and district levels who failed to detect or correct these violations would be held accountable. 'This amounts to dereliction of duty and is a neglect of the objectives of the nutrition programme," the notice said. 'The SDMC is not allowed to take such decisions on its own initiative," the circular stated. The Karnataka government had earlier stopped distributing peanut chikkis as an alternative to eggs after they were found to contain high levels of unsaturated fats and sugars. The department has directed all Deputy Directors (Administration) to take strict steps to ensure compliance in their respective districts and submit a detailed report to the State Office by July 15, 2025. A partnership was signed with the Azim Premji Foundation last year for a Rs 1,500 crore, three-year nutrition programme. For 2025 alone, Rs 755.62 crore has been allocated — Rs 501.68 crore from the Foundation, and Rs 253.94 crore from the state government — specifically for providing eggs and bananas as supplementary nutrition to students from pre-primary to Class 10. First Published: July 08, 2025, 16:10 IST
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
9,000 undertrials released through Maharashtra's legal aid model: CM
1 2 Nagpur: Around 9,000 undertrial prisoners, nearly 45% of the 20,000 aided so far, were released through a pioneering legal aid initiative launched under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in 2018. The first-of-its-kind model in the country, this effort has since been adopted by the central govt and is now being expanded nationwide with dedicated funding, a statement released by the govt says. Conceived as a response to the disproportionately high number of undertrials in Indian jails, the initiative focuses on providing structured legal assistance to inmates who often remain incarcerated due to lack of representation or inability to afford bail. As per the Prison Statistics India Report 2021, over 77% of inmates in India are undertrials, with an average jail occupancy rate of 130%. "This effort began with a clear objective, to deliver justice to those trapped in the system for no fault other than poverty or lack of support," said Fadnavis, highlighting the need for equity within the criminal justice framework. The project began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Maharashtra govt and the Azim Premji Foundation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and National Law University, Delhi also partnered in operationalising the programme. Initially rolled out across eight major prisons — Nagpur, Arthur Road, Byculla, Kalyan, Taloja, Latur, Thane, and Pune — it involved the appointment of trained social work and legal fellows within jails and District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs). These professionals assist prisoners in preparing legal documents, understanding court procedures, and securing effective legal representation. The initiative has not only helped secure bail or case closure for thousands but has also strengthened the prison-based legal aid system and triggered policy-level reforms. With the success of the pilot phase, the state govt recently renewed its MoU with the Azim Premji Foundation. The next phase will focus on strengthening information systems, scaling legal clinics in prisons, and building institutional capacities to deliver justice more efficiently. Officials said that the initiative has become a national model for legal aid, demonstrating how administrative will and structured partnerships can transform access to justice for the most marginalised.
United News of India
16-06-2025
- Health
- United News of India
Azim Premji Foundation announces Azim Premji Health Equity Fellowship for PG doctors
West Pune, June 16 (UNI) Azim Premji Foundation has announced the 'Azim Premji Health Equity Fellowship' – an 18-month immersive learning experience for post-graduate doctors. The Fellowship is a collaborative effort of Azim Premji Foundation, and 11 prestigious health institutions located in various parts of the country, said a release here on Monday. As part of the programme, Fellows will receive firsthand exposure to practise effectively with patients in rural areas. A diverse case load and mentorship by senior doctors will give them an opportunity to acquire effective clinical skills and community experience, the release added. UNI SP SS
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Government extends distribution of eggs/bananas to children in pre-primary classes in government schools
The Karnataka government has extended the distribution of eggs and bananas to children in pre-primary classes of government schools from the academic year 2025-26. With this, a total of 1,98,270 pre-primary students in government schools across the State have become beneficiaries of the scheme. Children who do not consume eggs will be given two bananas every day, on all working days. Earlier, eggs and bananas were being provided to only students of class 1 to class 10 of government and aided schools. The State government issued an order on June 5 to distribute eggs and bananas as supplementary nutrition to students in collaboration with the Azim Premji Foundation. Total beneficiaries Till 2024-25, there were 2,619 pre-primary classes in government schools across the State. In view of the huge demand, they were started in 5,000 more government schools from this academic year at a cost of about ₹70 crore. The State's School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) has welcomed the government's move to extend egg/banana distribution to pre-primary students. 'Distribution of eggs/bananas is beneficial for the physical and mental development of young children,' said Umesh G. Gangavadi, president of the SDMC. Last year, groundnut chikkis used to be given to children who did not eat eggs and bananas. However, the government stopped their distribution because the suppliers provided poor quality chikkis. The State government has earmarked a total of ₹755.62 crore this year for the distribution of eggs/bananas to students from pre-primary classes to class 10. With this, 51,61,390 children — 40,47,461 in government schools and 11,13,929 government-aided schools, will be the beneficiaries of the scheme. The foundation signed an agreement with the government last year to provide a grant of ₹1,500 crore for three years for the distribution of eggs/bananas as additional nutrition to government school children. Accordingly, this year, the foundation is providing ₹501.68 crore, and the remaining ₹253.94 crore will be borne by the State government. Emphasis on transparency To ensure transparency in the scheme, the attendance of all children who are in school at 11 a.m. every day is collected and entered in the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) portal. The headmaster of schools has been instructed to confirm this information with an e-signature through OTP and submit it to the Commissioner of Public Instruction and other department officials. Every day, during morning prayer, the headmaster should inform the students about the nutrients and benefits of eggs and bananas. In addition, at least 10 parents should be invited by the headmaster every week randomly to have midday meals with the schoolchildren. Increase the unit cost In view of the price rise, there has been a demand from teachers of government schools to increase the unit cost given by the government for eggs/bananas. 'An egg costs around ₹6.50 in the market. And, a medium-sized banana costs at least ₹5. However, the government has fixed a unit cost of just ₹6 for an egg/banana. The government has instructed us to provide two good-quality bananas to children who do not eat eggs. At least ₹10 to ₹12 has to be paid for two bananas. This will create a huge financial burden on teachers. Therefore, the government should increase the unit cost of eggs/bananas,' said the headmaster of a government school in Bengaluru.
New Indian Express
01-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Learning through experience: Shreejita provides hands-on education for children in rural Odisha
'For example, in the mock bank and shop, children learn to interact with one another in English or Odia, learn to write their names, do basic calculations, plan expenditures, etc. There are no school books involved here but it is all about strengthening their foundational skills which will make it easier for them to integrate the knowledge into their school curriculum,' said Shreejita, who has done her Masters in Chemistry and BEd. She worked in the Azim Premji Foundation for two years from 2017 and was a teaching fellow before deciding to come to Sundargarh to teach students of remote villages for Koru Foundation. That is not all. Shreejita encourages the children to think, write and publish their stories, comics, poems in a monthly wall magazine - Rangeen Patrika. The name of the magazine has been collectively decided by the children. 'The children, who have a lot of indigenous knowledge, are encouraged to think about their own day-to-day experiences and pen them down in the form of stories, poems and comics for the magazine,' she said. But the learning is not confined to the four walls of the community learning centre. Forests around the village also become their classrooms. 'For a long time, many of the children did not wish to come to the centre after a long day at school. Girls, particularly, because they had to also help their mothers with the household chores. Most of them visit the forest to bring forest products,' Shreejita said. This is when she decided to join them in the forests to teach them about plant parts, different types of plants, the forest ecosystem and the environment in general. Shreejita has also created a rubric following the learning outcomes recommended by NCERT, to assess children's progress every six months. 'Every session, there has been a considerable improvement in the learning outcome of these children which is visible in our assessment and their school results. It is a continuous process,' said Shreejita, who is now planning to approach the local government school authorities to implement the practical learning model for better understanding of children.
