The Mid-Day-Meal Programme was introduced in 1995 to provide a cooked noon meal to primary school children of all Government and Government-aided Schools studying in Class I to V all over the State for 210 working days in a year. The scheme aims at increasing the enrolment and reducing the number of school dropouts while also improving the nutritional status of the children. However, during 2001-2002, w.e.f. the 1st of July 2001, it was decided  to provide a cooked meal to the primary school children in all Govt. & Govt.-aided primary school children only in the rural areas of the 8 KBK districts (80 Blocks including 44 ITDA Blocks) and in 74 ITDA Blocks of the Non-KBK Districts. Thus, cooked food under the MDM Programme was being provided only in the KBK and the ITDA Blocks. As regards the other districts of the State, dry ration, @ 3 kgs of rice per beneficiary per month was being supplied. During the year 2002-03, the cooked meal system under the MDM Programme was also extended to the primary school children in the backward district of Boudh w.e.f. 01.04.02. Thus, 157 Blocks out of the 314 Blocks in the State were  covered under the ‘cooked meal system’ while the remaining 157 Blocks were covered under the ‘dry ration system’till 31.8.04.

As per direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court cooked meal at noon time is being provided to all students of all the Govt./Govt. aided Primary Schools w.e.f. 1.9.04. The total coverage under the scheme was 5151346 during 2004-05 including 1169832 students from the KBK districts. During the current financial year 2005-06, the coverage has gone up to 5156154 in 69700 schools including 1156426 students in 18486 schools the KBK districts as per the latest enrolment figures furnished by the concerned Departments. The coverage under the scheme during the year 2006-07 is 5002269 in 67598 schools.

Under the scheme, the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Elementary Education & Literacy, New Delhi are providing free rice @ 100 grams per beneficiary per day for 210 days every academic year. Government of India also provide the transportation charges for transportation of the rice from the FCI Depot to the school point @ Rs.75/- per quintal which is released to the districts through the MVSN by the Ministry of HRD, Department of Elementary Education, Government of India upon submission of claims by the DSWOs.

Government of Orissa provides funds towards purchase of the dal, vegetables, oil, condiments and transportation charges under the scheme at the rate of 0.64 paise per beneficiary per day. The Govt. of India, Ministry of HRD provides cooking cost @ Rs.1.00 per beneficiary per day w.e.f. 1.9.04 and accordingly Rs.1.64 (Rs.0.64 from State Govt. fund) is being provided per beneficiary per day under the programme.
Revised Ration Cost (in Rs.)

NB: GoI provides rice @ 100 gm per child per school day free of cost.
For implementation of the MDM Programme, an amount of Rs.1930.00 lakhs had been provided in the budget for 2004-05. The provision for 2005-06 is Rs. 18590.00 lakhs which includes the cost of conversion i.e. honorarium of the cooks and the helpers. Till Feb.2006 a sum of Rs.13240.97 lakh has been released.

Budget provision