Kinnow or guava will be added in midday meal of Punjab govt schools from Monday

Initially, the department had planned to implement the change from the next quarter. From January 1, bananas were included in the midday meals every Monday and Rs 5 per student had been earmarked for the same.

Varinder Singh Brar, general manager of Punjab School midday meal society, said that fruits being grown in Punjab are kinnow, guava, mango, litchi, ber. “School heads can do the purchase of the local fruit of the area on their own from the funds already provided to them. These instructions stand implemented,” he said. Information revealed that most likely kinnows are likely to be given as of now to children as there is a glut of this crop in the market and farmers are not getting price. Sources revealed that letter was issued following a communication from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Earlier, the CMO had written to the Education Secretary Kamal Kishore Yadav to study the option of including seasonal fruits cultivated in Punjab, instead of bananas, in the menu of students, officials said. Under the central government’s PM Poshan scheme, Punjab Mid-day Meal Society that takes care of the government school menu, from January 1, started giving bananas to 19 lakh students from Class 1 to 8 on Mondays. However, the move faced criticism and the first one to oppose it was Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar who wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on January 3 to include kinnows and carrots in order to boost the local farmers instead of buying bananas from outside Punjab. Moreover, this year farmers of kinnow belt are suffering due to glut and are getting very low prices.

Even AAP MLAs Narinderpal Singh Sawna, Goldy Musafir and Goldy Kamboj from Fazilka district had also met the CM over this issue. The matter was discussed yet again on January 31 at the CM’s meeting with deputy commissioners of Punjab at Chandigarh.

After this meeting, the CMO wrote to the Education Secretary Kamal Kishore Yadav to explore the option of including seasonal fruits.

Brar said that he had also got a letter from the education secretary asking to explore the option of giving home-grown seasonal fruits of Punjab to the students for the mid-day meal. “We have further sought this information from the horticulture department and Punjab Mandi Board Department to know the details of fruits being grown in Punjab and also about its marketing. Once they provide us this information, we will work on this issue,” Brar said.

Punjab Horticulture Director Dr Shailender Kaur said that the step is sure to generate better revenue for farmers. “I am yet to see the letter. However, it is heartening to know that seasonal fruit will be included in the mid-day meal. I will suggest guava from April-September and citrus varieties from September-March. Our farmers will get a big boost as they are facing a glut of kinnow these days,” Kaur said. Kinnow that comes in different varieties starts entering the market by mid-November. Moreover, it is rich in vitamin C, fibre and has a good shelf life. Guava that aids in digestion, is a fibrous fruit rich in antioxidants, potassium, and vitamin C as well. “I would rather suggest honey and jaggery as well for children in winters. Jaggery powder can be used in place of sugar in mid-day meals and honey can be given to children to boost their immunity. These can also bail out our farmers,” she said.