Odisha to add milk to Mid-Day Meals for school students

NEW DELHI: The Odisha government has announced plans to include fortified milk in the mid-day meal program for school students.

Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik shared this update on Tuesday, highlighting the state’s efforts to improve child nutrition.

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As part of the initiative, each student will receive 200 millilitres of milk fortified with Vitamins A and D along with their daily mid-day meal.

A pilot program, called ‘Gift Milk,’ was launched in the Rairangpur region of Mayurbhanj district on January 13. Currently, 1,184 students across 29 schools are benefiting from this project, with plans to expand it statewide in the future.

Speaking to the media, Minister Mallik expressed his gratitude to President Droupadi Murmu, who virtually inaugurated the Gift Milk program and other dairy development initiatives under OMFED (Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation) from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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“The Gift Milk initiative started yesterday. Under this program, 1,184 students are being provided 200 millilitres of milk fortified with Vitamins A and D.

We aim to extend this project to more schools soon. Our government is committed to launching more welfare schemes for students,” Mallik said.

The Gift Milk program is an innovative initiative by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

It provides flavoured milk fortified with essential vitamins to school children aged 5 to 15 years from government schools or schools run by NGOs and charitable organisations.

The milk is distributed on all working days through dairy cooperatives under CSR funding, ensuring the nutritional needs of underprivileged children are met.

This addition to the mid-day meal program aims to address malnutrition and improve the overall health of school students, fostering their growth and development.