Bhubaneswar, Nov 30: The Odisha government has announced an increase in the prices of midday meals for school students. Under the revised rates, students in classes 1 to 5 will now receive meals at Rs 7.64, up from the previous Rs 5.90. For students in classes 6 to 8, the meal cost has been raised to Rs 10.94, from Rs 8.82.
The School and Mass Education Department has directed all district collectors to implement the new rates starting from December 1. This price hike is part of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Yojana, a central government initiative aimed at providing nutritious meals to children attending school.
The decision to raise the rates follows the ongoing rise in the prices of vegetables and other essential commodities. In August, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond had indicated that the cost of the midday meal would increase by Rs 1.
