Mid-day meal being served at a school. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, April 14: The state government has decided to extend the mid-day meal programme to the summer vacations in a bid to restore its image after the Centre ordered a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) in Orissa.

Schoolchildren from the 15 drought-affected districts of the state would be served mid-day meals during the ensuing summer vacation, official sources said.

Children in the schools of Angul, Balasore, Baragrh, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Sambalpur , Sonepur and Sundergarh would benefit from this programme.

According to the gazette notification issued by the state women and child welfare department, these special mid-day meals would be provided either in May or June in these schools depending on when the summer vacation starts. Necessary directions have already been issued to all the district inspectors (DI) of schools in these areas. The revenue and disaster management department has also issued a notification. Sources said 1,10,336 villages under 144 gram panchayats in 90 blocks would be covered under the programme. Similarly, 104 wards of 14 municipalities would also avail the benefits. The scheme, intended at providing nutritious meals to school students, would benefit an estimated 30 lakh kids.

The state government has also decided to seek people’s feedback on the scheme’s implementation. The complaints can be lodged using the women and child development department’s toll-free number 1800-3456722. Mid-day meal kitchens in these government and government-aided schools are being run by women’s self help groups (SHGs).

Sources said the toll-free line would remain open from 8am to 8pm. The government has asked all the district officials to ensure that children are served meals in a conducive atmosphere and that no child went without food.

The mid-day meal scheme had courted controversy recently following complaints of supply of sub-standard dal to schools in different parts of the state. The state vigilance department had conducted a probe which had put three collectors besides some other senior officials in the dock. Women and child development minister Pramilla Mallick resigned in the wake of the controversy.