Odisha’s Chief Minister, Mohan Majhi, recently announced that the government will soon provide mid-day meals to about 8 lakh (800,000) students in grades 9 and 10 at government schools across the state. This announcement was made during a special event in Cuttack to celebrate 100 years of Ranihat High School.
Officials mentioned that the state budget for 2025-26, which will be presented in the Assembly next week, will include funds for this new initiative. Many people have been asking for the inclusion of ninth and tenth graders in the mid-day meal program, saying it’s unfair that they were left out.
The Mid-Day Meal program began in July 1995 and has since offered cooked meals to younger students in government and government-aided schools, from grades 1 to 5. In April 2008, the program expanded to include grades 6, 7, and 8. Now, the total number of students receiving meals has reached 44.5 lakh in over 51,500 schools.
In September 2021, the scheme was renamed PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) by the Ministry of Education. The program aims to help kids eat better and show up for school more often. The meals provided include rice with a veggie dish called ‘Dalma’ on Mondays and Thursdays, rice with soybean curry on Tuesdays and Fridays, and rice with egg curry on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
To make meals even healthier, the state government will also offer 200 ml of milk enriched with Vitamin A and D, helping students get the nutrients they need.
Since the Mid-Day Meal program started, dropout rates in Odisha have been dropping steadily, according to data from 1995 to 2005. A study found that over 76% of primary school teachers believe the program helps kids stay in school and learn.
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