The Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust has added about 25,000 schools to its Annapurna Morning Nutrition Programme, taking the total number of schools where it serves free breakfast to 40,000. The trust — based in Muddenahalli in Karnataka — was recently approached by the Telangana government to help add breakfast for all students of government schools in the state.
Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai — who spearheads the trust and is the founder of the Global Mission of Nutrition, Education and Healthcare — told FE that now they are serving free morning nutrition to more than 3 million children across 40,000 schools in 23 states and four Union territories, as well as 5,000 schoolchildren in five foreign countries. The trust claims that the morning nutrition programme has led to 90% improvement in attendance, and 25-40% improvement in the height and weight of schoolchildren.
Prior to the trust being approached by the Telangana government, it used to provide breakfast to about 1.2 million kids in 15,000 schools. An education expert told FE that while the central government’s Mid Day Meal scheme — now called PM-POSHAN — is a great intervention in keeping students inside schools, it is usually served after 12 noon, by when most students who haven’t had breakfast start to feel drowsy and uninterested in classes. “A light breakfast raises their energy levels, revitalises them,” he said. “Possibly that’s the reason the morning nutrition programme has led to 90% improvement in attendance.”
PM-POSHAN — launched for an initial period of five years (2021-22 to 2025-26) — provides one hot cooked meal in government and government-aided schools. Implemented by the Ministry of Education, it feeds children of pre-schools or Bal Vatika (before class I) in primary schools, in addition to the 118 million children of classes I to VIII studying in 1.12 million schools.
In addition, the Global Mission of Nutrition, Education and Healthcare had recently set up India’s first free medical college, where students won’t have to pay any fee, hostel and food charges included. Called the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2023. While it doesn’t charge any fee from students, Sri Madhusudan Sai said that students who study here for five years and become a doctor are expected to serve the poor for five years, and then they can pursue whatever career path they choose to. It is being set up at a cost of Rs 400 crore, and classes will commence in academic year June 2023-24.
Achievements
—More than 3 million students served breakfast
—Across 40,000 schools in 23 states and four UTs
—This has led to 90% improvement in attendance
—Also led to 25-40% improvement in height, weight