West Bengal Government Withdraws Mid-Day Meal Approval for Akshaya Patra in Four Districts
2 sources · India
Who reported this
- Scroll.in
- The Hindu
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- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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The West Bengal government has withdrawn approval for the Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide mid-day meals in the districts of Howrah, North 24 Parganas, Purulia, and Purba Medinipur. The order to rescind the approval was issued by the State Education Department on September 11. Approval for the foundation to provide meals in Kolkata remains in place.
The decision follows a pilot project started on August 1 in Kolkata schools. The program became a point of contention because Akshaya Patra, which has ties to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), does not include eggs in its meals. In response to criticism regarding nutrition, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that eggs would be provided to students separately.
While the government has not officially specified a reason for the withdrawal in the four districts, some school heads reported that providing boiled eggs separately increased costs and created logistical difficulties. Additionally, women's self-help groups (SHGs) have protested the program, expressing concerns that they would lose their cooking jobs and that food transported from far away by the foundation might spoil.
Outlets with a left lean framed the event as part of a broader pattern of the BJP government imposing vegetarianism and depriving malnourished children of vital nutrition. Outlets with a center-left lean focused on the controversy surrounding protein sources and the economic concerns of the self-help groups.
How each side framed it
- Left
- The report framed the issue as a political imposition of Hindutva dietary principles and a deprivation of essential nutrients for children.
- Centre-left
- The report focused on the nutritional debate and the protests from self-help groups regarding job security.
Sources
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