Though the Odisha government has issued orders to distribute ration under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme to students of Class I to VII at their homes due to the closure of schools in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the block administrators at Danagadi in Jajpur seem to be oblivious about it.
In an unfortunate incident, children in Nagada, which was once plagued by malnutrition, have to climb down a hill and walk 10 kilometres on a regular basis to collect rice from a school at Ashokajhara. Moreover, they have to cover another 10 kilometres and climb up the hill to come back home which is a daunting task for the kids by any standard. The quest for food has none the less become an occupation of sorts from morning till the afternoon.
When the State government claim to have been spending lakhs of rupees for the development of Nagada, this kind of neglect by the block administration has raised question marks over the sincerity of the government.
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Meanwhile, the BDO at Danagadi, Mani Prasad Mishra has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
“The Block Education Officer (BEO) is in charge of the MDM rice scheme. I just came to know about the incident now. I have asked him for an explanation and ordered an inquiry into the incident,” said Mishra.
Additional Collector Akshay Kumar Mallick also assured that he will look into the matter.
“I will ask the concerned BDO and supply officer to enquire into the matter and ensure that this kind of thing won’t happen in future,” said Mallick.