MUMBAI: With an aim to enhance the nutritional intake of the beneficiaries The Akshaya Patra Foundation launched a pilot in partnership with the Government of Karnataka to introduce millets in the mid-day meal scheme .
The pilot will cover 1,622 children across 10 government and government-aided schools in Bengaluru and later aim to extend to all the 4,86,172 beneficiaries served by Akshaya Patra in Karnataka.
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will be the knowledge partner guiding this approach.
“This pilot was launched in the run up to Organics and Millets 2018, International Trade Fair, being organised at Bengaluru Palace from 19 – 21 January.”, statement said.
In the initial phase, children will receive millet-based items like upma, bisibelebath, sweetand kharapongal twice a week in addition to the existing mid-day meal menu from its centralised kitchens.
The implementation will be undertaken in a phased and systematic approach under the direction of leading subject matter experts and nutritionists.
