Kendrapada, November 17: A girl in Odisha walked on foot for 10 kilometres to lodge a complaint against her father who was allegedly stealing mid-day meal benefits that were supposed to be for her. The incident took place in Odisha's Kendrapada district. The girl no longer stays with her father who remarried after his first wife had died two years ago. Odisha Shocker: 85-Year-Old Father-in-Law of Government Officer Rapes Minor Tribal Girl in Bhubaneswar.

Acting on the girl's complaint, Kendrapada collector Samarth Verma directed an official to arrange for direct transfer of benefits to her bank account as well as to ensure that the money and rice her father had illegally claimed were given back to her, Times of India reported. Odisha Man Beheads Woman After She Fails in ‘Witchcraft Skills’, Walks Into Police Station With Severed Head.

"As directed by the collector, we will deposit the money she is entitled to directly in her bank account and take action to recover the amount her father received in her name," Kendrapada district education officer Sanjib Singh was quoted as saying. "I have directed the school’s headmaster to henceforth provide her quota of rice only to her," he added.

The girl reached the District Magistrate office in Kendrapada with a written complaint against her father. She alleged though she holds a bank account, the cash equivalent of un-availed midday meal benefits were going into her father’s account. She also said that her father had been collecting rice in his daughter's name from her school.

Since the coronavirus-induced lockdown started, the government, under the mid-meal scheme, is depositing Rs 8 a day in the bank account of each student or that of a guardian in case the primary beneficiary doesn’t have one. The government is also providing 150 grams of rice daily.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2020 12:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).