Children being served a meal in school. As per the menu prescribed for residential schools run by the Social Welfare Department of Karnataka, students are to be served a chicken meal once a week, preferably on Sundays.
| Photo Credit: Image for representational purpose
Students of the Morarji Desai Residential School at Hanchina Siddapura, in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district in Karnataka, were served chicken for lunch on July 19. The school, run under the Social Welfare Department, had reportedly been denying non-vegetarian food to the children, though it was part of the official hostel menu, due to a custom imposed by local villagers.
As a result, parents had occasionally brought home-cooked non-vegetarian food, and served it to their children on the school premises.
The Hinducarried a report on July 17 on this issue, after activists of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (KDSS) demanded that the children be given the nutritious food they were entitled to.
Following the media report, Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner Prabhulinga Kavalikatti and Zilla Panchayat CEO N. Hemanth directed officers of the Social Welfare Department and the hostel principal to serve food strictly as per the prescribed menu.
School principal M.G. Ganesh told The Hindu on July 20 that, following instructions from senior officers, non-vegetarian food was served on July 19. Of the students enrolled at the hostel, around 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.
Published – July 20, 2026 04:52 pm IST
