Food for thought: Shivraj Singh Chauhan

Bhopal, Sept. 24: Shivraj Singh Chauhan has decreed that in his Madhya Pradesh eggs need not spice up the mid-day meal menu.

The chief minister yesterday vetoed his own government’s proposal to include eggs in the mid-day meal programme, saying vegetarian food had everything the human body required and there was no need for the state’s 66,000 aanganwadis to change their menu.

“What’s the need for eggs in aanganwadis? As long as Shivraj Singh Chauhan is chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, eggs will not be introduced. In any case, the human body is fashioned to consume vegetarian food. And a vegetarian diet has everything the human body requires,” he told a Jain delegation.

Recently, the women and child welfare department that runs the mid-day meal project had recommended eggs on the ground that hundreds of children were malnourished. But three ministers opposed colleague Ranjana Bagel’s proposal, saying eggs would encourage non-vegetarianism.

Bagel then requested Chauhan to settle the matter, but he remained non-committal. Yesterday, he vetoed the proposal.

Under an assistance programme offered by the central government, the women and child welfare department had opted for eggs as they are rich in protein, essential for growing children.

Bhopal-based nutrition expert Amita Singh said she saw merit in adding eggs to children’s diet. “If the children are not vegetarian, there is a lot of merit in providing eggs in the mid-day meal. It is a meal in itself, full of nutritious value.”

Sachin Jain, who works with the NGO Right to Food, said he found Chauhan’s words “ridiculous”. “Inclusion of eggs is sensible on many counts. It is simple to cook by just boiling them. There are fewer chances of corruption.”

Businessman Rajendra Kothari, a vegetarian and a Jain, said Chauhan’s decision was unfortunate. “If the children are not vegetarians, why should the state impose dietary restrictions?”

Bagel has declined comment. Sources close to her said she wanted the children to decide if they wanted an egg, fruit or milk.