Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday put an end to speculation and controversy over whether eggs will be served to students in state-run schools, where the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has been tasked with arranging mid-day meals.
The Chief Minister announces that students in these schools will not be deprived of eggs, which will be arranged and served separately by the concerned school authorities, in addition to the vegetarian meals served by ISKCON.
“The government has made arrangements to provide eggs separately at the midday meal. This will be effective from August 1,” the Chief Minister tells media persons this afternoon.
He further says that as of now, the state government has made arrangements to provide eggs separately in the midday meal through self-help groups. However, he adds that the overall responsibility for distributing the mid-day meal will remain with ISKCON.
“The allocation for mid-day meals was Rs 10 in high and upper primary schools and Rs 6.78 in primary schools. We have also increased the amount to Rs 10 in primary schools. Apart from this, ISKCON will provide mid-day meals in a large part of Kolkata as a pilot project from August 1. ISKCON will provide vegetarian, pure-protein food. Apart from that, we are making arrangements to provide eggs separately through self-help groups,” the Chief Minister adds.
The state government had been facing criticism since the decision was announced that ISKCON would be responsible for arranging mid-day meals, initially at state-run schools within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area and subsequently throughout the state.
Opposition parties and a section of civil society accuse the state government of depriving school students of protein foods like eggs to satisfy the Hindutva agenda of pushing vegetarian food in mid-day meals.
However, all those controversies on this issue came to an end on Wednesday with the Chief Minister’s announcement.
(IANS)
