BHUBANESWAR: The state government will train around 1.10 lakh mid-day-meal workers in schools on workplace hygiene, food safety and preparation of nutritional food. The School and Mass Education (SME) department in association with the UN World Food Program organised a two-day state-level training of cook-cum-helpers to train them as master trainers.
All cooks-cum-helpers will be imparted the training through the master trainers as part of a drive related to enriching the nutritional content of MDM in all government and aided schools under PM POSHAN, officials of SME department said.
State nodal officer for PM POSHAN Raghuram R Iyer said two cook-cum-helpers from each block have been imparted training in the capacity building programme. The master trainers will now teach the rest of the MDM cook and cook-cum-helpers in their localities in a phased manner. All the MDM workers will be imparted the training by June-end, he said.
Iyer said the training emphasises on maintaining hygiene and cleanliness while preparing food in the school kitchen. “As diet diversification is being introduced in government and government-aided schools to reduce anaemia and ensure nutritious meal for all students and the state government is also promoting millets and nutri-garden in schools on a mission mode to achieve nutritional security for the future generations, our focus will be on providing the exposures to the trainees,” he said.
The state-level workshop covered areas of role and responsibilities of cook-cum-helpers, personal hygiene, cleanliness of kitchen and utensils, sources and mode of contamination, procurement, quality assurance and storage of raw materials, method of cooking, waste disposal rice fortification and management in emergencies among others.