Telangana launches breakfast scheme as schools reopen

Schools across Telangana reopened on Monday, June 15, 2026, after a 52-day summer break, with the state government launching a major new breakfast scheme for students in government-run educational institutions. The program, which also marks the extension of meal services to government junior colleges for the first time, aims to improve student nutrition, attendance, and concentration.

The scheme was formally inaugurated by Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar at Raj Bhavan Government High School in Hyderabad, where he distributed textbooks and joined students for the first meal. Under the initiative, a hot breakfast will be provided six days a week before classes begin. The rotating menu includes items like idli, dosa, puri, upma, pongal, and bonda, served with chutney or sambar. Students will also receive milk on three days each week and ragi malt on the other three, reflecting a focus on incorporating millets.

Officials said the program has begun in phases. The first phase covers approximately 1,302 government educational institutions, including 1,269 schools and 33 junior colleges, benefiting an estimated 144,000 to 150,000 students. In Hyderabad...