As part of the midday meals in Karnatana government-aided schools, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a scheme to distribute ragi malt to 55 lakh students on Thursday, February 22.

During the inauguration of the Sai Sure Ragi Health Mix distribution programme, the chief minister said that the government has started distributing millet malt to build school children's mental and physical health, a The New Indian Express report states.

"Good nutrition leads to good education. The programme of providing the most nutritious millet malt has started. This improves the mental and physical health of children. Children should not be anaemic. When there is no nutritional deficiency, children will be mentally strong and more agile in their studies. Children must get quality education. Like the children of the rich, the poor, labourers, Dalits and shudras should also get a good education," he said.

Pointing at how the production of milk increased during the Congress government’s tenure in 2013, Siddaramaiah said, "We started the Ksheerabhagya scheme to provide milk to schoolchildren five days a week. Milk goes to children through the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and the government pays KMF for it. We decided to help the farmers who supply milk to KMF," he said, adding that the government included a programme for providing eggs to schoolchildren twice a week in the last budget.

Food Minister KH Muniyappa, Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa and other officials were present at the inauguration.