Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday launched the province’s first school nutrition program at the Government Primary School MC-1 in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Addressing the gathering, she said the initiative was conceptualized when she visited a school and was informed by the teacher that some children fainted later in the day because they came to school without having any breakfast. “That day I decided that we would launch a program in schools where the children up to class-V would get a free milk packet daily, having all the nutrition,” she said, adding that the funds allocated for this purpose were nothing compared to the benefit it would have for children.
“A survey indicated that children’s weight is not in accordance with their age in these areas [Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh],” she said, explaining the reason behind launching the project from these areas. “It is not a favor to the children; it is their right,” she said, adding all provinces of the country had similar issues of nutritional deficiencies and stunted growth and should strive to overcome them through nutrition programs.
She also appreciated Punjab School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat for securing agreements to provide milk to students for Rs. 63/pack against the market price of Rs. 85-90. Following her address, the chief minister interacted with students and distributed milk packs to them while inquiring about their education and health.
The pilot project, per a statement issued by the Punjab government, has been dubbed the Chief Minister School Nutrition Program. It aims to address malnutrition in south Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh, where over 400,000 students in 3,527 schools would receive milk packs daily. Empty packs, it said, would be collected and recycled, with proceeds from the same used to benefit all the respective schools.