The Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) approved on Tuesday, 22 January, and increase in food allowances for Chisinau pre-university institutions. For these purposes, the CMC allocated an additional amount of 13.6 million lei necessary for school meals in 2008. During the last school year and since the beginning of this school year, the city hall has allocated 59.3 and 3.3 million lei, respectively, in addition to the amount provided for by the city budget. Such increases are needed to counterbalance constantly rising food prices. Since the beginning of this school year, 27,400 students of primary and secondary schools (grades I-IX) benefited from school meals. Of them, 21,400 are I- IV graders and 6,000 are V-IX graders coming from vulnerable families. Since recently, the city budget allocated 3 lei ($0.27) to each child. The raise approved, schoolchildren will receive breakfasts worth 5 lei ($0.44). Rations have also been increased for children attending after-hours classes, sports classes and sports high schools, persons infected with tuberculosis, special kindergartens and sanatorium groups. Besides the rise in food allowances, children from kindergartens of general type will receive in the evening an extra meal worth 3 lei. The state and the city budget fund the meals of about 35,400 children in Chisinau.