Rising Egg Prices Put Pressure on Government School Midday Meal Programme in Karnataka
Government school teachers have urged Karnataka to increase egg funding after rising market prices forced many schools to bear additional costs while continuing nutritional support for students.
A sharp rise in egg prices has created fresh challenges for Karnataka’s government school midday meal programme, with teachers urging the state government to increase the financial support provided for each egg supplied to students. School heads say the current allocation no longer reflects market prices, forcing them to cover the difference from their own pockets.
Under the existing scheme, the government provides Rs 6 for every egg served to students as part of the nutrition programme. However, eggs are currently being sold in the market for between Rs 8 and Rs 10 each, creating a funding gap that schools are struggling to manage.
Head teachers say they are required to provide eggs to students six days a week as per government guidelines. Because of the higher procurement cost, many schools are reportedly spending an additional Rs 8000 to Rs 10000 every month to continue the programme without interruption.
The growing financial burden has also affected how some schools implement the nutrition scheme. While a few institutions have temporarily replaced eggs with bananas, others have adopted a mixed approach by providing eggs to some students and bananas to others, depending on available funds and supply.
Teachers argue that these temporary measures are not ideal, as eggs are considered an important source of protein in the midday meal programme. They believe the current reimbursement rate should be revised to match prevailing market prices so that schools can continue providing the intended nutritional benefits without financial strain.
The issue has prompted the teachers association to submit a representation to the district Akshara Dasoha authorities in Raichur, requesting an immediate increase in the amount sanctioned for each egg. The association has urged the government to review the allocation in light of rising food prices.
Speaking on the issue, head teacher Vijayalakshmi said the present reimbursement of Rs 6 per egg is far below the market rate, where prices have climbed to between Rs 8 and Rs 9 in many places. She said schools are facing an unnecessary financial burden and appealed to the government to revise the funding at the earliest.
With food prices continuing to rise, educators say the success of the midday meal programme depends on timely financial support from the government. They believe updating the allocation for eggs will help schools maintain the quality of student nutrition while ensuring that teachers are not forced to spend personal funds to keep the programme running.
