Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced financial incentives for cooks and their assistants engaged in government schools.
The Chief Minister approved financial incentives of Rs 117.73 crore for the cooks and assistants and a saree allowance of Rs 500 for each of them working under Mission Shakti programme of the government.
Around 1.09 lakh cooks and assistants of 4,730 Mission Shakti groups in 50,862 schools across the state will benefit from the incentives. Around 45.5 lakh students in Classes I to VIII are served mid-day meals prepared by these workers. In 2017-18, the government had approved saree allowance of Rs 250.
Speaking on the occasion, Naveen said the mid-day meal works as an incentive in ensuring spread of education and food security of the children. The government is indebted to the cooks who play an important role in this regard, he added.
Stressing the crucial role of Mission Shakti in promotion of education, the chief minister said the government would further strengthen it to achieve women empowerment. He advised them to follow hygienic and healthy practices in their responsible work as per the training provided to them.
School and Mass Education Minister Sudam Marandi and secretary of the department Aswathi S also spoke on the occasion.
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