In order to ensure better nourishment for children, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has deliberated upon taking up an unique initiative. For the first time, the agency is planning to introduce breakfasts in all its primary schools in addition to the already existing mid-day meals being provided there. To kickstart the initiative, the council will organise a Breakfast Festival at Talkatora Gardens in the middle of September.
The NDMC is apparently the first civic agency in the Capital to have woken up to the significance of adding breakfast to the meal routine of its students. “The heads of different NDMC schools often reported to us that there were several cases of children fainting or feeling unwell during the morning assembly, classes or while playing. later, they carried a survey and found that most of the children came to school without having had breakfast, which rendered them weak for the rest of the day. Hence, we have proposed to give a morning meal to the kids apart from the mid-day meal,” said Vidushi Chaturvedi, director, education, NDMC.
The fact that Delhi has a major share in the national percentage of children having stunted growth due to malnourishment has led to this measure, maintains the agency. Besides, a report prepared by Program Evaluation Organisation of the Planning Commission, 2011, states that 47 per cent of Delhi’s children are mild to moderately undernourished. “Forty per cent of children in India are underweight. Forty five per cent do not have proper growth due to lack of nutrition. Delhi being one of the richest states in terms of per capita income, ironically, has a fair share in these statistics,” said a senior official.
To begin with, the civic agency is first going to organise a mass breakfast next month open to every child in the city. The breakfast festival, as the council calls it, will have an array of cuisines from different states. “It will be an event where children will not only be encouraged to have breakfast every morning, but will also get to learn about different state cultures and cuisines,” stated Chaturvedi. There will be quizzes based on nutrition and talks by dieticians.
The agency has not yet decided what they are going to offer as breakfast to students but a senior official said, “Each student may get a fruit, a bowl of cornflakes with milk and a slice of bread with jam between 8 am and 9 am. Menu may be subject to change based on what the council finally decides after consultation withb concerned authorities.”