The Punjab government has unveiled Pakistan’s largest school nutrition program, a significant step towards addressing child malnutrition. The initiative, launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Dera Ghazi Khan, aims to provide nutritious milk packs to primary school children.
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Punjab’s Largest School Nutrition Program
The idea for this program emerged when Maryam Nawaz visited a school and learned that some children were arriving at school without having breakfast, leading to fainting spells. This experience motivated her to create a solution.
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Program Details
The new program will benefit over 400,000 students across three districts—Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, and Muzaffargarh—where child malnutrition rates are notably high. Each student will receive a 175ml milk pack daily. The program also includes a recycling initiative where empty milk packs will be collected and recycled, generating funds for the schools.
During the launch, Maryam Nawaz personally distributed milk packs and interacted with the students, discussing their health and education. She also addressed individual concerns, including securing employment for a student’s unemployed father.
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Maryam Nawaz highlighted the government’s commitment to improving living standards and enhancing the education sector. She also praised Provincial Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat for reducing the cost of each milk packet from Rs85 or Rs90 to Rs63.
