The Pioneer, Feb 17, 2009
PNS | Bhubaneswar
Vedanta Aluminum Limited (VAL), Lanjigarh, on Friday signed an MoU with the Kalahandi district administration and the Naandi Foundation (NF) to provide nutritious mid-day meals to 17,000 children of classes I-VIII in 235 Government-aided schools in Lanjigarh block of the district.
The programme aims at encouraging poor children to arrest dropouts in schools. Kalahandi Collector RS Gopalan, VAL Chief Operating Officer Mukesh Kumar and NF National Head (Mid-Day Meal) Leena Joseph signed the MoU. Mukesh Kumar said initiative is being taken by providing nutritional cooked food prepared in a centralised kitchen managed by internationally renowned professional body, NF. The programme is being guided by the State’s Secretary of Women and Child Development Mona Sharma.
The NF shall be responsible for cooking and management of the VAL-provided centralised kitchen and also for delivering the food at the doorsteps of the schools. The district administration shall provide ration and other necessary items as per the Mid-Day Meal scheme of the Government.
VAL is running 39 childcare centres where children are provided pre-school education and nutritious food in different villages of Lanjigarh block. The Hyderabad-based NF, founded by Dr Reddy’s, is one of the leading social sector organisations. Presently, the NF provides noon meals to at least 10 lakh schoolchildren in four States.
In Orissa, it has a similar programme in Ganjam district, which was recently launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
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