South Dinajpur schools to cultivate nutrition gardens

BALURGHAT: In a significant move aimed at enhancing student nutrition, the South Dinajpur district administration convened a crucial meeting with representatives from 25 selected schools.

The meeting, held in the Vivekananda meeting room at the district administration building in Balurghat, focused on the establishment of nutrition gardens within school premises.The initiative will see the selected schools develop vegetable gardens on their grounds. The produce from these gardens will be incorporated into the students’ mid-day meals, providing a fresh and nutritious addition to their diets. Following this meeting, the chosen schools are expected to commence the creation of these gardens promptly.

The meeting was attended by several key figures, including Additional District Magistrate (General) Ravi Prakash Meena, Officer-in-Charge of Mid Day Meal and PM Poshan Arun Sarkar and District Inspector of Schools (Secondary) Nitai Chandra Das, along with other administrative and educational officials.

Schools from eight blocks of the district as well as those in the Balurghat and Gangarampur municipalities, were involved in the discussions. Each selected school was allocated a portion of land for the gardens, with the department of Horticulture providing support. The schools have been encouraged to grow a variety of vegetables based on their preferences.

For instance, some schools plan to cultivate jackfruit, papaya, moringa and lemon, while others have chosen to grow mangoes, litchis, guavas and oranges. However, not all schools have specified their preferred vegetables as of yet. Among the schools involved, the number of institutions called for this initiative ranges from a minimum of about one decimal to a maximum of 13 decimal. The meeting also included a comprehensive discussion on the PM Poshan project, which aims to improve the quality of mid-day meals in schools. Post-meeting, Balurghat Nalanda Vidyapeeth was seen taking the lead in establishing its nutrition

garden, involving students in the process.

Additional District Magistrate (General) Ravi Prakash Meena expressed optimism about the project, stating: “This recent meeting was about initiating the nutrition gardens. With these gardens, students will benefit from fresh, nutritious vegetables and fruits in their mid-day meals once the project is fully implemented.”