Kolkata, 29 July (H.S.) : The West Bengal government will reintroduce eggs in the Mid-Day Meal scheme for students in government schools from August 1, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at Nabanna, the Chief Minister said the decision had been taken to ensure that schoolchildren receive a balanced and protein-rich diet.

“Students are the future of the nation. We have made this arrangement to ensure they receive nutritious meals with adequate protein,” Adhikari said.

The announcement comes weeks after the state government handed over the responsibility of operating the Mid-Day Meal programme to ISKCON. At that time, it had said that only nutritious vegetarian meals would be served in schools and eggs would no longer be part of the menu.

The decision to remove eggs had triggered widespread debate, with parents, educationists and child welfare advocates arguing that eggs are an important source of protein for children. Many had also pointed out that for several students, the Mid-Day Meal is their primary source of nutritious food, making eggs an essential component of the scheme.

Following the controversy, the state government reviewed the issue and decided to restore eggs to the Mid-Day Meal menu. Announcing the decision on the occasion of Guru Purnima, the Chief Minister said the move was aimed at strengthening the nutritional value of meals served to schoolchildren.

According to the government, the revised Mid-Day Meal system under ISKCON's supervision is currently being implemented in schools in Kolkata. Based on its performance and implementation, the model may be expanded to the rest of the state in a phased manner.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh