29th November 2024: In a bid to improve student nutrition, the Odisha government has set up a committee to review and enhance the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana (PM POSHAN). The move, announced on November 28 by the School and Mass Education department, aims to ensure that the scheme effectively meets the nutritional needs of students across the state.
The committee will be led by the state’s nodal officer and will include members from organizations such as the National Institute of Nutrition, the World Food Programme, the Health and Family Welfare department, and the Director of Secondary Education, Odisha. The group’s role will be to assess the current provisions of the scheme and suggest improvements to make it more impactful.
Earlier this year, the state government increased the value of the midday meal to boost both nutrition and school attendance. The meal cost for primary school students was raised to ₹6.90, and for upper primary students, it was increased to ₹9.82. This revision is expected to benefit approximately 43 lakh students in government and government-aided schools throughout Odisha.
Currently, over 45 lakh students are served nutritious cooked meals in 50,485 schools across the state. The meals, which include dishes like rice with dalma, soya bean curry, and egg curry, are designed to provide a balanced diet, supporting the health and education of Odisha’s children.
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