The Andhra Pradesh government has completed the distribution of dry ration under the mid-day meal scheme to 90 per cent of the beneficiaries

“Since the government has extended the closure of schools, we began the second phase,” said director, mid-day meals and sanitation, Sridhar Chitturi. The beneficiaries are given rice, eggs and chikkis.

The government has distributed 4,073 tonnes of rice, 2,59,92,180 eggs and 1,29,96,090 chikkis to the 36 lakh beneficiaries studying in 45,723 schools across the State under the first phase.

Since the village volunteers are already burdened with the survey of foreign returnees, the Education Department has roped in the teachers and other staff of the schools to distribute the ration to students. “The volunteers already have enough on their plates. So several school principals asked the teachers and non-teaching staff to volunteer for work,” said Chitturi.

Each student of primary section will get one kg of rice, eight eggs and four packets of chikkis, while each student of upper primary section will get one-and-half kg of rice, eight eggs and four packets of chikkis.

However, none of the students were supplied with dal. “Rice, eggs and chikkis are provided directly by the State government. But the agency which provides dal and cooking oil has not decided anything of this sort,” said assistant director, Krishna district, mid-day meal, K Venugopal Rao.