'Dudh Sanjeevani' successful in improving school attendance in Guj

Palanpur, Mar 14 (UNI) 'Dudh Sanjeevani', the scheme to provide flavoured milk to school children in the tribal belt of Gujarat is paying rich dividends, as it has improved the attendance of students in schools.

It is for the first time in the country that more than 55,000 school children in the tribal belt of Gujarat have been tasting flavoured milk daily as part of the scheme. They are enjoying the rare privilege as even urban people would be put off to buy a bottle of 200 ml of milk daily which costs Rs 11.

District Collector Hareet Shukla said the project costs Rs 1.50 lakh for supplying milk every day.

''It is something new and being implemented for the first time in the country,'' Mr Shukla said adding besides improving health, it has also improved attendance in schools.

Jointly sponsored by the state government, Banas Dairy and Ambaji Temple Trust, the project has been gaining momentum among the school-going children.

In Pansa village the primary school has 223 students including 101 girls. None remain absent since the 'Dudh Sanjeevani' scheme was introduced, claims the Headmaster Bhavana Khusaldas Patel.

In Rinchhadi village, Headmaster Ramanbhai Bhurmabhai Makwana of a primary school said the milk is both tasty and full of vitamins.

Not only it has improved the attendance but also kept the children fresh and enthusiastic.

Sugna Babubhai, a student of 5th standard is happy. ''I used to move after the cows and goats whole day and now I am delighted,'' she said. Now she does not miss the school.

According to Begadiya Sanjay Ladubhai, whose two sons are studying in the school ''I used to send them to work in the fields.

Now they themselves are not willing to skip the school.'' ''The attendance of children has gone up by 10 to 20 per cent as the number of the absentees has been negligible right since the introduction of the scheme during the last month,'' says Choudhry Asokbhai, a teacher in Primary school at Kumbhariya.

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