Chandigarh: Over 1L students to be served sweetened milk

Chandigarh, July 8

Nearly 1,08,000 student beneficiaries of the local 121 government schools would now get sweetened milk once a week, in addition to their midday menu. The sweetened milk (130 ML with a 3 per cent fat content in a tetra pack) would be served to students from pre-primary to Class 8 studying in government schools.

The tender for the same was invited from government cooperative milk unions, government cooperative milk societies, and apex state milk federations at an earnest deposit of Rs 12,96,000 last year. As per the tender, the company has to supply flavoured milk in 130–150 ML tetra finno packs with transportation to government and government-aided schools and madrasas under the Prime Minister Poshan Scheme for the session 2023-24.

The department issued the same scheme in 2019. Director of School Education, Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar, said the authorities are keen to provide a nutritious diet to students. “It is the department’s mission to ensure that the nutritional requirements of the schoolchildren are fulfilled through sumptuous meals. This helps in increasing the daily attendance as the children are excited for the meals,” he said.