Bengal govt says eggs will stay in mid-day meals after Iskcon backlash
The West Bengal government said Kolkata schoolchildren will get eggs alongside ISKCON-prepared satvik mid-day meals. The move follows criticism over nutrition and seeks to reassure parents that protein intake will continue.
The West Bengal government on Wednesday announced that eggs will continue to be served to students under the mid-day meal programme, even as Iskon begins supplying cooked meals to government and government-aided schools in Kolkata from August 1.
Under the pilot project, Iskon will prepare vegetarian meals, while eggs will be distributed separately through self-help groups.
The announcement marks a course correction after the government's decision to rope in Iskon to provide mid-day meals for schools in Kolkata triggered a political storm.
The move drew sharp criticism from the Opposition, which accused the government of replacing a nutritionally balanced menu with a vegetarian one and warned that students could lose eggs — a key source of protein in school meals.
Seeking to put the controversy to rest, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the pilot project would begin in most Kolkata schools from August 1, but clarified that eggs would continue to be part of the programme.
"From August 1, a pilot project will be launched in most schools in Kolkata under which Iskon will provide pure satvik, protein-rich meals to students. In addition, eggs will be distributed separately through self-help groups so that children receive a protein-rich diet," the chief minister said.
The revised arrangement means Iskon will prepare and supply the cooked vegetarian meals, while self-help groups will distribute eggs separately, ensuring they remain part of students' weekly menu.
The government's clarification comes after days of political sparring over the decision to hand the mid-day meal programme to Iskon. The Opposition alleged that introducing a vegetarian menu amounted to imposing dietary preferences on children and claimed eggs would disappear from school plates if the BJP came to power. The controversy also sparked a wider debate on nutrition, with eggs long regarded as one of the most affordable and effective sources of protein in the state's school meal programme.
By retaining eggs while allowing Iskon to supply vegetarian meals, the government has attempted to strike a balance between the religious organisation's dietary practices and the nutritional requirements of schoolchildren.