The Hindu : Midday meal scheme working well: CM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 11, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Midday meal scheme working well: CM

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE May 10. The Chief Minister S.M.Krishna, has said that the midday meal scheme of the Government for schoolchildren is having the desired effect.

He was inaugurating the "Bhovi Janangada Swabhimani Samavesha and the Mahila Samavesha" organised by the Bhovi community here today.

Nearly 60 lakh poor children had been covered under the midday meal scheme so far. Attendance in schools had improved after the scheme was introduced, he said.

Mr. Krishna said exploitation and inhuman treatment of backward communities were disturbing and shameful. His Government had implemented a number of programmes to achieve social equality, and the midday meal scheme was one of them.

"Stree Shakti", aimed at improving the lot of poor and dalit women through free education up to the PUC level had now grown into a big movement. Over 11 lakh women had availed themselves of the benefits of the programme and now they felt emancipated. Education would play a vital role in eradicating social ills and strengthening the nation. The process to fill 16,000 backlog vacancies was in progress, he said.

The Chhatisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, claimed that the Congress was responsible for the uplift of the poor. Programmes chalked out under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi had made it possible for an "advasi" like him to become the Chief Minister of Chhatisgarh.

Emphasising the need for the poor to organise themselves, he said: "The broad-based unity of all poor and exploited communities will help them prove their social and political prowess. Unity in isolation will not help."

Exploited and economically backward communities like the Bhovis should give importance to education, as it was a powerful tool to transform individuals and society, he said.

The Congress MLC, Nirmala Venkatesh, urged the Government to establish a Bhovi development authority. Sharana Basava Mahaswamiji of Sri Gurusiddarameshwara Bhovi Peetha Dasoha Matha (Bagalkot) presided over the function.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, D.H.Shankaramurthy, and the former minister, M.S.Patil, were present.

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