KARACHI, May 15: A four-year Rs560 million programme has been finalized for the provision of lunch and vitamins to schoolchildren in the four less-developed districts of Sindh.

This was stated by the Sindh Secretary Education, Nazar Hussain Mahar, on Wednesday.

He said that under the programme, schoolchildren in the districts of Thatta, Badin, Tharparkar and Mirpurkhas will be served lunch at their respective schools. They will also be given vitamins.

Mahar said that the federal government has allocated a sum of Rs560 million for the programme which will commence from July this year.

He said that it has also been decided that from the next fiscal year, all those enrolled at government primary schools or at non-profit schools, from Class I to V, would be provided textbooks free of cost. A sum of Rs500 million has been allocated for this, he added.

He also informed that from July this year, poor girls from Class VI to X will be given scholarships.—APP