Himalayan News Service

Nuwakot, January 7

The lull in ghee supply from the Secondary School Nutritious Food Project (SSNFP) supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), has deprived children in secondary and lower secondary schools of Nuwakot district of nutritious food since December 23 last.

The SSNFP, under the aegis of USAID, had started this project to minimise the problem of malnutrition among deprived children. USAID had been providing flour, sugar, oil and ghee but the non-supply of ghee since the past weeks has stalled the programme, said the chief of the District Distribution Unit, Bajra Nath Adhikari, adding that the programme had halted in all 21 districts where USAID was funding the scheme.

Parents are pestering teachers to resume the programmeme, telling them to get the nutrients anyhow, said an official. The Nutritious Food programmeme is executed in 375 schools of Nuwakot district and 46,000 children are direct beneficiaries.

To encourage female students, the SSNFP was distributing oil too. The break in supplies has led parents and children both to apprehend that the programme would stop.

The WFP office clarified that the programme would resume next month and that children would get extra to compensate for the interim deficit.