KOZHIKODE: Schools are unable to provide midday meals to children according to the revised menu. Insufficient funds and the lack of skilled cooks to prepare the dishes are proving to be a hindrance. Except for fried rice and lemon rice, which were introduced on an experimental basis in some districts, the old menu is still followed in many schools.

In most schools, the cooks are over 50 years old. Many of them have no expertise in preparing the new dishes. At least in some schools, food is prepared in collaboration with PTA office bearers and teachers.

One day a week, one of the following should be prepared: vegetable fried rice, lemon rice, veg biryani, tomato rice, or coconut rice. The new menu also requires vegetable curry or kuruma. The current funds are inadequate to prepare differe

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