Kolkata, July 30: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has put an end to speculation regarding the provision of eggs in government schools. The responsibility for mid-day meals has been assigned to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
The Chief Minister announced that students in these schools will not be deprived of eggs. In addition to the vegetarian meals provided by ISKCON, the respective school administrations will arrange for the separate distribution of eggs.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, the Chief Minister confirmed that the government has made arrangements to provide eggs as part of the mid-day meal initiative. This provision will take effect from August 1.
He further stated that the state government has organized the supply of eggs through self-help groups. However, he emphasized that the overall responsibility for distributing mid-day meals will remain with ISKCON.
The budget for mid-day meals has been set at ₹10 for high and upper primary schools, and ₹6.78 for primary schools. The amount for primary schools has now been increased to ₹10. Additionally, starting August 1, ISKCON will implement a pilot project in a significant portion of Kolkata, providing mid-day meals that are vegetarian and rich in protein. The arrangement for separate egg distribution will also be facilitated through self-help groups.
When the decision was made to assign mid-day meal responsibilities to ISKCON in government schools within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area, the state government faced considerable criticism.
Opposition parties and certain civil society groups accused the state government of pursuing a Hindutva agenda by denying school children protein-rich food like eggs in their mid-day meals.
However, with the Chief Minister’s announcement on Wednesday, all ongoing controversies surrounding this issue have been resolved.
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