Written by TG Naidu for The New Indian Express

The Telangana High Court on Friday asked the Union government to explain how a budget of Rs 1,500 per student per month was sufficient to meet food expenses in state-run schools and hostels.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, was hearing a PIL filed by Help the People Charitable Trust president Keethineedi Akhil Sri Guru Teja, seeking directions to improve the quality of mid-day meals in state-run institutions and regulate fees in private schools.

The Telangana HC asked the state to file a detailed counter affidavit with the budget allocation per student, the menu being served and its nutritional value. The matter will be heard after Dasara vacation.

Counsel for the petitioner, Chikkudu Prabhakar, argued that an earlier order requiring photographs of daily meals to be recorded had not been followed.

Additional Advocate General Md Imran Khan told the court that the Rs 1,500 figure was based on 2022 calculations and that allocations had since been revised. He said tenders had been finalised for egg supplies and stressed that strict action was taken in cases of lapses.

The bench then directed the government to submit updated figures.