Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will provide nutrient-rich laddoos to school students under the PM POSHAN scheme from April 1.

The School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department today sent a communique in this regard to the Collectors of all 30 districts.

As per the official communication, the state government has approved a proposal to provide nutrient-rich laddoos to the students from Class-I to Class-X thrice a week.

The laddoos will be distributed among the students on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday during the morning assembly.

The state government has fixed the cost of the laddoos at Rs 3.50 per piece.

“The laddoos will be prepared from ingredients like groundnut, sesame, millet and jaggery. These ingredients are rich in fibre, iron and healthy fats which can act as good source of energy to all students enrolled from Class l to X in the government and government-aided schools covered under PM POSHAN scheme,” said the official letter.

The state government has also issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the distribution of laddoos among the students.

Procurement of ingredients:

The Headmaster (HM) may source the raw millet or millet powder/ groundnut/ sesame/ other ingredients from the local market on weekly/ fortnightly basis after cross checking the authenticity and expiry of the product so that the procured ingredients are of good quality.

The purchased raw millet or millet powder/ groundnut/ sesame including other ingredients should be kept in an airtight jar/container.

Cooks need to keep their hand clean, and the containers used for the preparation and the storage must be clean and dry.

Preparation of laddoos:

Cook-cum-Helpers (CCHs) have received training on the preparation of millet laddoos during the capacity building programme of CCHs held during the month of April to July 2023.

They should follow the recipe suggested by the state government for preparing nutrient-rich laddoos.

Quality control measures:

Cooks are required to prepare nutrition rich laddoos on the day of distribution or prior to the day of distribution so that the quality of laddoos will be maintained. However, if the laddoos are prepared in advance, they should be kept in clean and hygienic manner in an airtight container for a shelf-life period of maximum 30 days.

Record keeping:

The headmasters should maintain the records regarding the preparation and distribution of laddoos for future audit purpose.

Monitoring and Reporting:

The DEOs/ BEOs are requested to monitor the quality of laddoos and the distribution process, and report the same to the State Nodal Officer, PM POSHAN, on monthly basis.  

The state officials will also monitor the preparation and distribution of laddoos under Supplementary Nutrition Programme of PM POSHAN.