Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Wednesday approved the expansion of its flagship Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana (MMPY), extending free Mid-Day Meals (MDM) to students of Classes IX and X in all government and government-aided secondary schools across the state.
The scheme, which was launched on April 1, 2025, seeks to enhance nutritional levels, boost attendance and retention rates, and improve learning outcomes among secondary school students.
Official estimates indicate that the programme will benefit nearly 57.41 lakh secondary school students over the five-year period from 2025 to 2030. The state government has projected a total expenditure of Rs 4,224.46 crore for the entire initiative.
For the current financial year 2025–26 alone, the government has already spent Rs 665.36 crore, providing nutritious meals to 11,23,536 students in 8,962 schools.
The Cabinet has also granted ex-post-facto approval for the expenditure incurred so far and cleared a proposal to extend mid-day meal coverage to approximately 46.6 lakh secondary students over the next four years, with an additional budgetary allocation of Rs 3,506.99 crore.
The expansion of the Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana is being seen as a major welfare measure aimed at addressing malnutrition among adolescents while encouraging continued school enrolment beyond elementary education.
