Report by OD bureau; Bhubaneswar: Over 5000 students of primary and upper primary schools of Lanjigarh Panchayat in Kalahandi district of Odisha will now get hygienic and nutritious food - courtesy Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), which has collaborated with the Government of Odisha and Naandi Foundation to set up a hi-tech centralized mid-day meal kitchen in Lanjigarh.

Fresh, healthy and nourishing food cooked in this kitchen would cater to students from 54 schools covering ten villages viz. Jaganathpur, Basantpada, Biswanathpur, Lanjigarh, Trilochanpur, Balabhadrapur, Pokhribandh, Chhatrapur, Jodabandh and Niyamgiri Vedanta Nagar. The project aims at improving the hygiene and nutritional value as well as increasing enrolment along with the retention of children in schools.

Appreciating the initiative, former SC & ST Minister Mr. Balabhaadra Majhi, said, “Vedanta’s attempt to provide nutritious and hygienic food to the children of Lanjigarh area is commendable. I am sure this would also help improve the overall rate of attendance in these schools.”

Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President & COO, VAL said, “The centralized mid-day meal kitchen intends to provide quality food to the children of Lanjigarh area. This would facilitate the government run mid-day meal programme and benefit students studying in the remotest of schools.”

As part of the MoU, Vedanta Aluminium Limited, has set up the centralized kitchen, where food will be cooked and sent to schools. Naandi Foundation will be responsible for cooking and management of the kitchen and also for delivering the food at the doorstep of the schools. The district administration will provide ration and other necessary items as per the mid-day meal scheme of the Government of Odisha.

Vedanta runs seven state-of-the-art kitchens in the states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh providing mid-day meals to over 2.5 lakh children.