Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said state government-aided schools should provide rice, dal and plenty of vegetables to students in midday meals, apparently turning down a proposal to add fish and chicken to the menu.
The chief minister made the proposal during an administrative review meeting in Burdwan.
A school in Hooghly was recently found serving only salt and boiled rice as midday meals, prompting some district administrations to propose fish and chicken also in the menu.
“An egg costs Rs 6 and daily allotment for each student is Rs 4.31. How can schools buy eggs for students with the allotted money? The students should get enough rice, dal and vegetables,” said the chief minister after the school education secretary, Manish Jain, informed her that some district magistrates had suggested fish or chicken in the menu.
Sources in the government said some schools had asked how food items listed by the district magistrates could be served as only Rs 4.48 was allotted for a primary student’s meal and Rs 6.71 each for students from Class V and Class VIII everyday, in addition to rice supplied by the food corporation of India.
“They (the schools) were logical in raising the question. The chief minister considered the questions valid and made her suggestions,” said a senior government official.
While East Midnapore DM asked schools to include fish as an alternative to eggs two days a week, Hooghly DM made chicken mandatory once a week, in addition to eggs two days a week.
The DM’s orders had created confusion at many schools in the two districts. The schools said it would not be possible to add more items to the menu until the allotments under the scheme were enhanced.
After the chief minister’s statement on Monday, the headmaster of a school in Hooghly said: “With the allotted amount, we can arrange rice, dal and vegetables. The chief minister is a practical person compared to bureaucrats.”
A section of officials in the school education department said the suggestions of the chief minister might sound practical, but it would be tough for them to issue an order asking schools to provide rice, dal and vegetables to the students for the entire week.
“The scheme makes it clear that primary students should be given a minimum of 450 calories every day with at least 12gm of protein. Similarly, students from Class V to Class VIII should be given a minimum of 700 calories everyday with at least 20gm of protein. That is why we suggested eggs twice a week,” said an official.
As the annual plan for Bengal’s midday meal scheme clearly states schools should arrange eggs twice a week, it would be tough for the department to tweak it following the suggestions of the chief minister, sources said.
“The centre shoulders 60 per cent of the cost. If schools in other states can arrange eggs twice a week, we cannot change the menu on our own. What we can do is to lobby Delhi to enhance the allotment,” said a source.
A section of the officials said the state could ask the schools to arrange for soybean, instead of eggs. “But it has to be done unofficially as the state cannot fix menu on its own bypassing the national programme of midday meal,” said an official.
