After Media Report, Karnataka School Serves Chicken to Students as Per Prescribed Menu
Students of the Morarji Desai Residential School at Hanchina Siddapura in Bhadravati taluk, Shivamogga district, were served chicken for lunch on July 19, following a media report that highlighted the denial of non-vegetarian food despite its inclusion in the official hostel menu.
The school, operated under the Social Welfare Department, had previously refrained from serving non-vegetarian meals due to a custom imposed by local villagers. This led parents to occasionally bring home-cooked non-vegetarian food to the school premises for their children.
On July 17, The Hindu published a report on the issue after activists from the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (KDSS) demanded that students receive the nutritious food they were entitled to under the prescribed menu.
Following the media coverage, Deputy Commissioner of Shivamogga, Prabhulinga Kavalikatti, and Zilla Panchayat CEO N. Hemanth directed officers of the Social Welfare Department and the school principal to ensure meals were served strictly as per the official menu.
School principal M.G. Ganesh confirmed on July 20 that, in compliance with instructions from senior officers, non-vegetarian food was served on July 19. Of the enrolled students, approximately 170 had chicken for lunch, while the remaining 30 opted for a vegetarian meal.
M. Gurumurthy, State convener of the KDSS, thanked the media for highlighting the issue and appreciated the swift response of the district administration.
