The Odisha government has announced that the expenditure on the midday meal for schoolchildren will be increased by one rupee per student, considering the rise in the prices of essential commodities.

Following the rise in the prices of essential commodities, the school authorities are struggling to provide quality food to the students under the midday meal scheme. Rising vegetable costs have also remained a concern for the school authorities, and the price of onion has also touched ₹70 per kg.

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced this while attending the state-level Children’s Day function in Bhubaneswar.

Currently, the state government is spending ₹5.90 per meal for each primary student and ₹8.82 per meal for each upper primary student.

Under the midday meal scheme, nearly 43 lakh primary and upper primary school students are given cooked food. On Monday and Thursday, rice and dalma are served to the students. On Wednesday and Saturday, the students are given rice and egg curry. On Tuesdays and Fridays, rice and soya bean curry are given to the students.

Majhi also announced the setting up of a heritage school in each district of the state. The oldest school in the district will get the tag of the heritage school and all facilities will be provided to it. As many as 51 schools will be developed as heritage schools.

The chief minister also launched the Godabarish Mishra Adarsh Prathamik Vidyalaya Yojana. Under this scheme, the state will set up a modern primary school in each panchayat of the state. A total of 6,794 schools will be built under the scheme.

Majhi also announced the waiver of ₹2,000 hostel fees for the students of the Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya.