Odisha Boosts Midday Meal Funding for School Students

The Odisha government has increased the budget for midday meals, significantly raising the cost per meal for primary and upper primary students. This decision, effective December 1st, affects 44.5 lakh students across over 51,500 schools and represents the first price revision since October 2022.

The Odisha government has announced an increase in the budget allocation for midday meals provided to school students, according to an official statement on Sunday.

Raghuram R Iyer, State Nodal Officer for PM-Poshan, communicated the government's decision to district collectors on Saturday. The cost for each midday meal for primary school students, from classes 1 to 5, will rise from Rs 5.90 to Rs 7.64. For upper primary school students, from classes 6 to 8, the cost will increase to Rs 10.94, up from Rs 8.82. This revision will be effective from December 1.

The last change in meal pricing was implemented in October 2022. The scheme currently provides cooked meals to approximately 44.5 lakh students across more than 51,500 primary and upper primary schools in the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)