Karnataka govt to seek parental consent for egg distribution in schools: Madhu Bangarappa
Bengaluru: Following a surprise inspection by the Azim Premji Foundation that revealed eggs were not being served to students on certain days at some schools due to objections from members of the School Development Monitoring Committee (SDMC), the Karnataka Department of School Education and Literacy has decided to obtain parental consent for egg distribution.
The foundation, which has pledged Rs 1,500 crore to provide eggs as a nutritional supplement under the midday meal scheme, found eggs were not served in 568 out of 762 schools visited. Responding to a query from BJP MLC Ravi Kumar regarding this issue, Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa acknowledged that some parents preferred their children not to be served eggs on specific days.
“So, we have decided to obtain consent from parents at the time of admission to know their preference – whether they want their children to be served eggs or bananas. It’s good to get parental approval in such matters,” Deccan Herald quoted Bangarappa as saying.
He also dismissed allegations of fund misappropriation related to egg and banana supplies, explaining that price fluctuations of eggs mean leftover funds remain with the respective SDMCs.
Following a report by Azim Premji Foundation, the department has issued notices to the SDMCs to ensure compliance.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
