Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said the Telangana government was committed to improving quality education nutrition support for every child and had already taken steps to strengthen both school learning and food access.
The Chief Minister made the remarks during a meeting with economist Karthik Muralidharan at the Legislative Council Hall on Thursday. The discussion focused on reports that flagged nutritional deficiencies and learning outcome gaps among children aged up to 10 years in the state.
Muralidharan told the Chief Minister that poor nutrition in early childhood could trigger serious health problems later. He also pointed to the long-term impact on children who did not receive proper instruction at an early stage. During the meeting, he said such gaps could also contribute to psychological distress in later life.
Revanth Reddy said the government had already been paying special attention to these issues. He added that the state had allocated enough funds to provide breakfast in schools along with the existing midday meal scheme. He said the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure children received both quality education and nutritious food.
Quality education nutrition review covered schools and Anganwadis
Muralidharan suggested that the government should appoint one additional worker in Anganwadi centres only for regular distribution of nutritious food to children. Officials said such a worker, called a Poshan Sakhi, would help improve the delivery of nutrition in Anganwadis.
The Chief Minister then directed officials to examine whether Muralidharan’s proposals could be implemented on a pilot basis in all 29 schools in the Core Urban Region Economy, or CURE, area. He also asked officials to prepare a special report on the issue in consultation with the economist and submit it to the government.
The meeting brought the state’s education and child welfare arms onto one platform. As a result, the discussion covered school meals, Anganwadi nutrition delivery, early learning standards and the broader quality education nutrition framework for young children.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and Women and Child Welfare Minister Seethakka attended the meeting. Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao was also present.
Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister V. Seshadri, Secretary to the Chief Minister Manik Raj, and Special Secretary to the Chief Minister Ajith Reddy joined the review. Finance Department Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Education Department Secretary Yogita Rana, and Women and Child Welfare Department Secretary Anita Ramachandran also took part.
Planning Department Secretary Dr. Gaurav Uppal, SERP CEO Divya, Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister Krishna Bhaskar, Women and Child Welfare Director Shruti Ojha, and School Education Director Naveen Nicholas were present as well. OSD to the Chief Minister Vemula Srinivasulu also attended the meeting.
The review showed that the government planned to study expert suggestions before scaling any intervention. At the same time, it underlined that quality education nutrition had become a linked policy priority for the state’s youngest children.