State schools embrace kitchen gardens; serve fresh veggies & fruits to students
KOLKATA: The interest in developing kitchen gardens under the PM Poshan Scheme has surged in the state, with the number of schools establishing School Nutrition Gardens (SNG) increasing significantly. As of the current fiscal, a total of 13,352 schools have shown interest in developing these Nutri-Gardens, a substantial rise from 3,995 in
the previous year.
The state PM Poshan has allocated Rs 5,000 per school from the Flexi Fund for the development of SNGs, bringing the total number of schools with kitchen gardens to nearly 50,000. South 24-Parganas leads with 4,574 schools participating in the SNG initiative this year. However, five districts, including Kolkata, did not have any schools selected for the program. To support this initiative, the state PM Poshan office is working with Food Processing Industries and the Horticulture Department to provide schools with free saplings and seeds. “We are coordinating with the Directorate of Horticulture for setting up SNGs in the premises of primary, upper primary
and high schools.
The list of schools selected for the current financial year were sent to the directorate in phases. They will instruct their district officers to supply the seeds and saplings to those selected schools,” said Paromita Roy, Project Director of state PM Poshan. Kitchen gardens not only enhance the nutritional quality of mid-day meals by providing fresh vegetables and fruits but also provide students with
valuable hands-on experience
in gardening.
One notable example of a successful SNG initiative is Madanagar High School in East Burdwan’s Raina, which has converted its rooftop into a thriving nutritional garden, featuring exotic and nutritious Dragon Fruit. The school’s headmaster, Kalyanmay Dan, led the effort that has not only supplemented the Mid-Day Meals but also generated income for the school. The revenue generated from selling Dragon Fruit and its saplings is reinvested into the school, supporting educational and extracurricular activities.
At Ghorasole Primary School in Bankura, the kitchen garden provides vegetables, fruits, and spices, reducing cooking costs and enhancing the Mid-Day Meal program. The saved funds are used to buy ghee and provide small amounts to each student. Recently, they planted saplings of food-bearing trees to ensure a future supply of bananas, lemons, mulberries, mangoes, and jackfruits. Bazari F. P. School in West Burdwan has also excelled by establishing a self-irrigated kitchen garden next to the school kitchen. This garden supplies fresh ingredients year-round, significantly boosting the success of their Mid-Day Meal programme.
