https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Meghalaya’s School Kitchen Gardens Providing Nutrition to Students

SDO, Sadar, Meghalaya, Abhinav Singh, has initiated kitchen gardens in five government schools The 2020-batch IAS officer's idea is to provide nutritional benefits to school children and to the Anganwadi centres Kitchen Garden will be surrounded by moringa trees which are good for carbon sequestration
Indian Masterminds Stories

At a time when India has been consistently ranked among the poorest performers in the Global Hunger Index, here comes a noble initiative by SDO, Sadar,  Meghalaya,  Abhinav Singh to provide nutritional food to school young children,  that too without spending a bomb.  The 2020-batch IAS officer has helped build Kitchen Gardens to provide leafy vegetables to school children and to the Anganwadi centres of Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.

KITCHEN GARDENS

Mr Abhinav Singh told Indian Masterminds, that the kitchen garden programme has been started in five schools of Ri-Bhoi district. For introducing the kitchen garden in government schools, a total area required was around 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft. where in the administration have tried to introduce mainly leafy green vegetables used for the school children particularly.

He has also planned a tie up with the Anganwadi’s  to ensure a balanced and Nutritional diet. “This initiative has been taken under Vegetable Development Scheme of the Horticulture department. The seeds thus,  were procured by the horticulture department and then the school administration is given responsibility of ensuring  that the procured seeds grow into a plant. Progress is evaluated every month,” Mr. Singh told Indian Masterminds.

If the pilot project succeeds  it would be extended  to maximum number of schools in the district.  “We will try to get a kitchen garden in most of the 1263 schools in Ri-Bhoi district depending on the space availability and the funding pattern of the scheme,” he added.

He hopes to set up 67 more of such gardens during January 2023, in convergence mode with ICDS Department. Supply of seeds and other inputs at Rs. 5000/- per unit will be done by Directorate of Horticulture. Establishment of gardens   and their caretaking shall be done by the respective departments.

CHILDREN PARTICIPATION

Meghalaya schools  have winter vacation from December to February. So, this is the time when the district administration planned the kitchen garden in the selected five schools. Mr. Singh said that this is the reason that they didn’t involve the children in the pilot project.

However, as soon as the schools will re-open, the horticulture department along with the district administration and school education department will involve students too to make them understand the process of setting up kitchen gardens and tending to them as also costs and benefits.

VEGETABLE DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

The objective of the vegetable Development Scheme is to promote vegetable production through HYV seeds/Hybrids/Improved/Open Pollinated seedlings, including assistance to farmers.

Mr. Singh said that an amount of 5,000 rupees has been given for the development of kitchen gardens in 70 schools and Anganwadi centre.

The idea of this initiative is first to have a kitchen garden which will, later be surrounded by Moringa Trees. Besides nutritional benefits, kitchen gardens will also being in  carbon neutrality as well. “Since Moringa trees are good for Carbon sequestration, we are looking to reap multiple benefits from a single scheme,” Mr. Singh informed. 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IAS Ashwani Kumar
Assam’s Bold Bet on Local Talent: IAS Ashwani Kumar’s Vision for a Digital Assam
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
SBK Singh IPS CP
Delhi Police Commissioner S B K Singh Bans Aerial Platforms from August 2 to 16 for Security Reasons
IPS-logo-resized_new
10 Senior Cops Get New Roles In Bihar Police; DG Jitendra Kumar Gets Additional Charge of B-SAP
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
Jharkhand IFS Rajneesh Kumar Transferred Amid Ongoing Legal Proceedings - Details Inside
Uttar Pradesh UP Government
17 Review Officers Transferred in Uttar Pradesh Secretariat Administration Reshuffle - Details Inside
IFS-forest-resized
6 IFS Officers Transferred in Odisha to Strengthen Environmental Administration, Jagayandatt Pati Made RCCF, Koraput Circle
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services IAS logo
4 Young IAS Officers Reshuffled in Uttarakhand, Rahul Anand Made Joint Magistrate, Dehradun
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IAS Ashwani Kumar
Assam’s Bold Bet on Local Talent: IAS Ashwani Kumar’s Vision for a Digital Assam
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT