Agartala: Oct 31. A cooking competition among Mid-Day Meal cooks from nine schools was organized at Charilam under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Project, an initiative of the Charilam School Inspector’s office.
The event, held on Friday at the BRC Hall within the Charilam Vidya Jyoti School complex, was inaugurated with a ceremonial lamp lighting by Rudradeep Nath, Deputy Director of Elementary Education, along with Charilam School Inspector Uttam Kumar Dutta, Sipahijala District Education Officer Kanika Debbarma, Principal of Bishramganj Vidya Jyoti School Chirakumar Debbarma, Deputy IS Purnima Roy, and social worker Shyamal Debnath, among other guests.
Speaking to the media, School Inspector Uttam Kumar Dutta said the contest first began at the CRC level, from where selected cooks advanced to the block-level competition.
Winners at the block level received their prizes from the guests— Sumitra Debbarma of Sutarmura HS School secured first place and received a mixer machine, Swapna Chowdhury of Baluachari S.B. School stood second and received an induction cooker, while Madhumala Debbarma of Puskarbari S.B. School bagged third place and was awarded a pressure cooker. Six others were given consolation prizes, mementos, and certificates.
According to officials, the top three winners at the block level will compete in the district-level cooking competition, and district winners will go on to represent their areas at the state-level event.
Inspector Dutta added that the Elementary Education Department has been organizing this contest for the past three years to encourage cooks engaged in the Mid-Day Meal scheme. The event saw enthusiastic participation from teachers across various schools, with guests visiting each participant to observe their cooking within the allotted time.
District Education Officer Kanika Debbarma remarked that the contest received an excellent response and praised the initiative for motivating the Bhojan Matas who play a key role in ensuring nutritious meals for schoolchildren.
