Odisha Govt increases remuneration of school mid-day meal cooks, assistants

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today increased the remuneration of cooks and assistants engaged in preparing mid-day meals in Odisha schools from an existing amount of Rs 1,400 to Rs 2,000. This announcement will benefit cooks and assistants working in about 55,000 schools, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

According to the CMO, the State government will bear an expense of around Rs 74 Crore in a year to pay the remuneration at an increased rate.

Besides, the cooks and assistants’ next of kin will be given an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each in case of death during their tenure of engagement. The announcement will cover around 1,10,000 beneficiaries working in about 55,000 schools in the State.

The increased amount of remuneration will be retrospectively remitted from October 2023.