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.
