KP govt introduces free meal initiative for primary school children

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to implement a free meal programme for students in government primary schools. This decision was made during a meeting of the Education Department, chaired by Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur.

According to a statement, the initiative, titled the “School Khaana Programme,” aims to provide free meals to children across all divisional headquarters in the province. The programme will initially launch as a pilot project in Abbottabad and Swat.

The announcement stated that, upon successful implementation, the programme will be extended to other divisional headquarters in the province, with an estimated 70,000 children expected to receive daily access to nutritious meals.

The annual budget for this initiative is projected to be around Rs500 million, which will be covered by the provincial government. A memorandum of understanding will be signed with the Social Welfare Department and a private welfare organisation to facilitate the programme’s execution.

The meeting also decided to establish a committee composed of officials from the Education and Social Welfare departments to oversee the implementation of the programme. This committee will finalise all details and present them to the provincial cabinet for final approval.

Chief Minister Gandapur remarked that this initiative is another significant welfare step by the provincial government, aimed at providing free and quality meals to students in government schools. He expressed optimism that this measure would help increase enrolment in these schools.

He further assured that the provincial government would prioritise funding for this purpose, emphasising that investing in public welfare aligns with the vision of Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Gandapur affirmed that the current provincial government is committed to launching more welfare projects in line with this vision.

The Chief Minister urged relevant authorities to expedite the finalisation of the action plan for the proposed programme.

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