Keonjhar: The district administration on Thursday launched a programme under the midday meal scheme to serve dual purposes - increase attendance in government-run schools and provide additional nutrition content in students' diet.

The administration, from Thursday onwards, will serve eggs on a daily basis to the schoolchildren under the meal scheme.

"From Thursday onwards, eggs will stay on the children's menu for the midday meal every day. Earlier, eggs used to be served to them only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Now, the children will be served either boiled eggs or egg curry on each of the school days," said Keonjhar education officer Kapilendra Mishra.

The additional expenditure for the egg procurement is being borne from the district mineral funds, he said.

Around 2.30 lakh children from as many as 2,870 primary and upper primary schools are covered under the scheme in the district. Additional eggs in the midday meal ration would cover all these schools.

The school and mass education department had earlier decided to provide the additional nutrition content to the meal diet. The department had held consultation with guardians and parents, seeking their suggestion in this regard. The majority of the guardians had opined in favour of the additional quota of eggs for their wards. "The schoolchildren has also evinced interest in eggs on their menu," he said.

The daily attendance in government-run schools located in predominantly tribal-inhabited pockets of the district was far from satisfactory. However, the attendance was registering upward trends on Wednesdays and Saturdays when eggs were served in the meal.

"We are quite hopeful that eggs will attract the children not to bunk classes. The skipping of classes on part of the children was a major cause of worry for teachers. They have also been asked to make door-to-door visit of the enrolled students' houses in motivate their parents, so that their wards do not skip classes," he said.

"I come from a poor family with eight members. My parents cannot afford non-vegetarian food. We are happy to know that we will get egg daily in our noon meal," said Surendra Behera, a Class VII student.

The district mineral funds are earmarked to develop infrastructure, provide pipe water supply, build pucca roads, enhance skill development and create new job opportunities in the areas affected by mining operations.

"However, the administration has sanctioned funds towards the meal as a social security measure. The additional eggs in the meal will enhance the nutrition content of food served to the children," said the district rural development agency's project director Nrusingha Charan Swain.