“Odisha to Provide 200ml of Fortified Milk to Every School Student”

A pilot initiative has already been launched in the Rairangpur region of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, where 200 millilitres of milk is being provided to 1,184 students across 29 schools. Under the GiftMilk programme of the National Dairy Development Board, the Odisha government plans to expand this initiative, offering milk to all school students as part of their mid-day meal. The programme aims to support child nutrition and fight malnutrition. Gokulananda Mallik, the state’s Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister, announced that 200 ml of flavoured milk, fortified with vitamins A and D as per FSSAI standards, will soon be distributed to government school children on all working days. This distribution will be managed by a dairy cooperative under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework. Currently, eleven states in India, including Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana, are already implementing the GiftMilk programme.

A pilot initiative has already been launched in the Rairangpur region of Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, where 200 millilitres of milk is being provided to 1,184 students across 29 schools.

“The government is planning to introduce several welfare schemes for school students and aims to expand this project to other schools soon,” said Minister Gokulananda Mallik. He further mentioned that milk production in the state will be enhanced under the National Livestock Fund’s Gokul Yojana. As part of the scheme, 3,000 cows will be distributed to underprivileged individuals.

Mallik added that approximately ₹38 crore will be allocated to the project, which aims to support women, tribals, and Harijans in the state. Additionally, under the Chief Minister’s Kamdhenu Yojana, a provision has been made to offer two cows to people at a 70% discount.