Happiness kit to boost immunity of Odisha school students

With schools in Odisha likelyto reopen this month, given the improvement in the COVID-19situation, the state government has decided to gift students'Happiness kits' -- comprising peanuts, jaggery, chickpeasamong other items -- to boost their immunity.

The distribution, set to begin during the first weekof February, would cover five districts in the initial phase-- Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Nayagarh, and Sundargarh, anofficial said on Monday.

''Each kit would contain nutritious food items, such aswheat, turmeric powder, peanuts, jaggery, chickpeas, cinnamon,cardamom, biscuits. These apart, stationary items, includingpen, pencil, notepad, sanitary napkin, toothpaste, iodisedsalt and soap, would also be a part of the kit,'' he said.

According to School and Mass Education Minister SRDash, at least 1.83 lakh children of 1,916 schools, spreadover the five districts, will benefit from the initiative inthe first phase.

The programme would later be extended to otherdistricts of the state, he said.

''In all, 30 lakh children of 60,000 schools would beable to avail the kit,'' the minister added.

Official sources said the state government hasapproved a proposal to assign the kit distribution job toAkshaya Patra Foundation, which supplies mid-day meals toschools.