Students of Shivamogga school denied non-veg food for years; KDSS raises concern
Students of Morarji Desai Residential School, run by the Social Welfare Department at Hanchina Siddapura in Bhadravathi taluk of Shivamogga district, have not been served
Students of Morarji Desai Residential School, run by the Social Welfare Department at Hanchina Siddapura in Bhadravathi taluk of Shivamogga district, have not been served non-vegetarian food for several years, in violation of the prescribed hostel menu, reportedly due to a custom imposed by villagers. The school hosts around 250 students from classes 6 to 10, hailing from various areas within the Shivamogga district. For most of them, consuming non-vegetarian food is a regular part of their dietary habits. As per the menu prescribed for residential schools run by the department, students are to be served a chicken meal once a week, preferably on Sundays. However, for several years, they have been served only eggs in place of chicken. Many parents are occasionally seen bringing home-cooked non-vegetarian food to serve to their children on the school premises.
M. Gurumurthy, State convener of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (KDSS), has expressed serious objections to the denial of nutritious food to the children. “The menu for the residential school has been fixed considering the nutritional requirements of the children. They come from families where non-vegetarian food is part of their food culture. Denying them the food they deserve is unacceptable. I have written to the Deputy Commissioner of Shivamogga to look into the issue and ensure the children get the food they need,” he said. When The Hindu contacted M.G. Ganesh, the school's principal, he said it had been the school’s practice for several years. “Well before I took charge of the school, it had accepted this practice. I am told that residents of Hanchina Siddapura insisted that the hostel not serve non-vegetarian food.
Earlier, the hostel was temporarily located on land on the premises of Siddeshwara Temple in the village. Since then, the hostel authorities have maintained this practice, and it has continued even after the hostel shifted to its own building,” the principal said. Ganesh further said that the villagers and some of the parents were in favour of continuing with the existing system. “The villagers believe that the school has been doing well and the children’s performance in examinations has been good all these years, and that any change to the custom might invite trouble. I am told that even in the village, people who opened chicken stalls faced difficulties sustaining their businesses and had to eventually shut down. Hence, the villagers and a section of the parents want the system to continue,” he said.
The BriefWire