Himalayan News Service

Nuwakot, May 31:

The World Food Programme-supported nutritious food programme (Food for Education) in Nuwakot is in limbo after the food distribution was postponed some two months ago. The food distribution has gone to a halt after the contractors stopped to supply the food from the capital. The transportation of the food has been postponed after the contractor was killed in an accident two months ago. After the halt on food distribution, over 45,000 school children in the district have been deprived of the nutritious food they were getting for the last two years, as the stock has already finished, district education office said.

Some 95 tonnes of flour, 11 tonnes of ghee, 17 tonnes of sugar and 30 tonnes of vegetable oil used to be distributed every month in the district. According to staff involved in the distribution of the food to the school kids, the distribution has been postponed at 52 schools under Sunkhani, Likhu and Bhadratar centres from last month while it has been postponed at schools under the rest 17 centres from this month. Meanwhile, girl students of 15 schools have been deprived of vegetable oil from last Falgun. With the postponement of the food distribution, the future of the project itself in the district has become uncertain. The programme was implemented in 20 different districts, including Nuwakot, some two years ago.