Bhubaneswar: Over 10 lakh students of Class-IX and Class-X in Odisha will be served the midday meal (MDM), said School and Mass Education (S&ME) Minister Nityananda Gond today.

The state government will include the students of Class-IX and X under the MDM scheme. As many as 10.80 lakh more students will be benefitted under the scheme in the state, said the Minister in the Assembly.

The state government will incur additional expenditure Rs 646.31 crore annually for this purpose, added the Minister.

According to the Minister, altogether 41,74,915 students from Class-I to Class-VIII in the state are now getting benefits under the MDM scheme.

“The cost of MDM meals is fixed by the Centre. The state government provides its share of funds for the implementation of the scheme. Besides, the state government sanctions additional funds to raise the cost of MDM meals,” said the Minister while replying to a query of Baliguda MLA Chakramani Kanhar.

The cost of MDM meals for students from Class-I to Class-V is fixed at Rs 7.46 and the same for students from Class-VI to Class-VIII is Rs 10.94, revealed the Minister.   

Notably, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, in February this year, had announced that the state government will include students of Class-IX and X in the MDM scheme.