Telangana shows worst performance nationally in school kitchen construction
Telangana has constructed only 58 percent of its sanctioned kitchen-cum-stores under the PM Poshan Yojana, ranking lowest among Indian States. With over 12,000 kitchens still pending, schools struggle to cook mid-day meals, especially during the rainy season
Hyderabad: Telangana ended up among the worst performers with regard to the construction of kitchens meant for cooking mid-day meals in government and local body schools.
The Union Ministry of Education, which released the latest PM Poshan Yojana (Mid-Day Meal scheme) statistics, revealed that only 58 percent of the 30,408 sanctioned kitchen-cum-stores have been constructed under the scheme in the State. This figure has placed the State at the bottom of the table.
Interestingly, Bihar has fared far better than Telangana, with all 58,847 kitchen-cum-stores sanctioned for it having been constructed.
Overall, while 30,238 out of 9,41,539 kitchen-cum-stores are yet to be constructed across the country, 12,647 of these are in Telangana, accounting for 42 percent of the total incomplete constructions nationwide.
Due to the lack of kitchen-cum-stores, Telangana-run schools are finding it difficult to prepare mid-day meals, particularly during the rainy season. On sunny days, food is often cooked under tree shades, raising serious hygiene concerns as leaves and insects frequently fall into the food.
“Today we struggled a lot as it continuously rained since morning and there was no place for cooking. Somehow, we managed to prepare food and served the students. Even schools that have kitchens are not spacious enough for cooking, let alone storing provisions. Besides, there is no proper ventilation,” said a headmaster.
In contrast, 26 States and Union Territories have completed 100 percent of their sanctioned kitchen-cum-stores. In fact, Jharkhand achieved 105 percent construction, having established more kitchen-cum-stores than the 32,070 sanctioned.
Among big States, Maharashtra completed 89 percent of its constructions, while Madhya Pradesh and Haryana finished 95 percent and 96 percent of the total sanctioned works, respectively. The neighbouring Telugu-speaking State Andhra Pradesh is also ahead of Telangana, with 97 percent of its 32,347 sanctioned kitchen-cum-stores completed.
Telangana:
Total students enrolled: 15,75,209
Primary school students: 9,77,864
Upper primary school students: 5,97,345
Number of cooks-cum-helpers: 54,201
Kitchen-cum-stores constructed under PM Poshan Scheme
| State | Sanctioned | % Constructed |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1,13,091 | 100 |
| Gujarat | 25,077 | 100 |
| Karnataka | 40,477 | 100 |
| Kerala | 5,481 | 100 |
| Punjab | 19,052 | 100 |
| Rajasthan | 50,312 | 100 |
| West Bengal | 81,956 | 100 |
| Maharashtra | 69,803 | 89 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 32,347 | 97 |
| Telangana | 30,408 | 58 |
