Kerala adds egg biryani to anganwadi menu after toddler's viral video plea
Kerala Women and Child Development Minister Veena George has announced that egg biryani has been added to the food menu at anganwadis (rural childcare centres), following a viral video of a toddler expressing his dislike for upma (a traditional South Indian breakfast dish made primarily from dry-roasted semolina) and wished for biryani and fried chicken at his anganwadi.Minister Veena George, 'There was a video of this toddler named Shanku that went viral. He told his mother that he does not want upma but biriyani and chicken fry. After the video went viral, in his and many other anganwadis, biriyani was served.' advertisement'We thought, how can this be implemented? We are giving eggs at anganwadis, and we changed it from two days a week to three days a week. We have decided to include egg biriyani now,' she added, speaking at the state-level reopening ceremony of anganwadis.
The updated menu now includes nutri laddoo (a nutrient-rich ladoo made from a mix of protein and fibre-rich ingredients), dal payasam (a traditional South Indian dessert made from lentils, jaggery, coconut milk, and flavoured with cardamom), ragi ada (a traditional South Indian snack), soya dry fry, and wheat pulav, along with egg biryani.Veena George also stated, 'This is the first time a unified model food menu has been prepared.'In the video that gained popularity in February this year, the child, Rijul S Sundar, who is lovingly called Shanku, told his mother that they should give 'birnani' (biryani) and 'poricha koi' (fried chicken) in his anganwadi instead of upma. His mother shared the moment on Instagram, which quickly drew the attention of Minister Veena George, who then promised a revised menu.advertisementWritten by Rahen Philip
IN THIS STORY#Kerala
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