Bhubaneswar: After the gap of more than two years, the Odisha Government has resumed the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) programme in schools across the State from Saturday.
The cooked food is being served to the eligible students from Class 1 to 8 across the State, informed the School and Mass Education Department.
The MDM programme at schools was stopped following closure of schools due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the State. Dry ration (rice) and food security allowances (cooking cost) were provided to the students in lieu of hot cooked meals at school since March-20. While dry ration (rice) has been sanctioned to students upto March-22, cooking cost has been transferred to the account of students through their bank accounts in DBT mode.
The School and Mass Education Department has resumed the MDM programme from April 2 as the schools have reopened after the improvement in the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
The State Government has also prepared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the for smooth implementation of Mid-Day Meal programme at schools.