BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of rise in prices of vegetables and other essential commodities, the cost of a mid-day meal per student will be hiked by Rs 1, said School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond on Wednesday.
Speaking to mediapersons, Gond said with prices of vegetables and pulses spiralling, it has become necessary to increase the cost per meal. “Our government was considering this and accordingly a provision has been made for it in the budget,” he said.
The mid-day meal (MDM) expenditure is Rs 5.90 for a primary student and Rs 8.82 for an upper primary student. The last revision of the meal cost was carried out in October, 2022.
As per PM-POSHAN (Odisha) reports, cooked meals are currently being provided to 45 lakh students in 50,485 primary and upper primary schools in the state. Students are served rice with ‘dalma’ on Mondays and Thursdays, soyabean curry on Tuesdays and Fridays and egg curry on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
A primary student (Class I to VIII) has to be served 25 gm of dal and it is 30 gm in case of upper primary student (Class VI to VIII). When it comes to soyabeans, it is 12 gm for a primary student and 25 gm for upper primary students. One egg is served per student.
With potato, a major ingredient in ‘dalma’, being sold at Rs 40 per kg and price of both arhar and moong dal have reached Rs 155 per kg, headmasters and teachers are forced to buy inferior quality commodities at low prices, thereby compromising on the nutritional aspect of mid-day meals. The All Utkal Primary Teachers Association had been demanding hike in the price of MDM.