The State Government is considering inclusion of more protein-rich food for vegetarian students under the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme.”Apart from providing potato, apples and bananas to vegetarian students, efforts are on to add more protein and calorie-rich food to them.
A final decision on this would be taken after reviewing the ongoing MDM schemes in other States,” said School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra while inaugurating a three-day State level children’s festival, Surabhi-2014 at the Unit-IX Boys’ High School premises here on Wednesday.
Department Secretary Usha Padhee said apart from studies, efforts have to be made to encourage students to give full expression to their creativity. Stating that the children’s festival should reach out to nearly 60 lakh students of 60,000 schools in the State, Padhee urged the teachers to encourage their students to showcase their latent talent at the festival. For the first time, book stalls and postal ticket stalls have come up at the festival venue.
Besides, the Energy, Forest and Environment, Tribal Welfare and Handicrafts and Handlooms departments, Bayonika, OPEPA (Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority), SCERT (State Council of Education Research and Training) have also opened stalls at the festival in which more than 2,500 students from various schools across the State are participating.