Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president, requested the Centre on Wednesday to restart the school lunch scheme, which was stopped during the COVID-19 outbreak. Making a Zero Hour mention she also requested that the government make hot, cooked food available to children under the age of three, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
Mrs Gandhi stated that children, the country’s future, had suffered the most during the pandemic because schools were among the first to close and the last to reopen. ‘When schools were closed, the mid-day meal scheme was also ended. People were given dry rations as a result of the National Food Security Act and Supreme Court directives. Dry rations, on the other hand, are no substitute for cooked and nutritious meals for children’ she said.
Mrs Gandhi acknowledged that during the unprecedented pandemic, children and their families faced difficult times. ‘However, once children return to school, better nutrition is important. Mid-day meals will also aid in the return to school of children who had dropped out due to the pandemic’ she added.
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