The West Bengal government has roped in ISKCON to provide mid-day meals in Kolkata schools as a pilot project beginning August 1 this year. File photo for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: G.N. Rao
The story so far: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) put an end to a controversy over eggs being removed from mid-day meals for schoolchildren in Kolkata. The CM said that along with protein-rich cooked meals provided by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), eggs will be provided separately through self-help groups (SHGs).
The West Bengal government has roped in ISKCON to provide mid-day meals in city schools as a pilot project beginning August 1 this year. Since ISKCON is a religious organisation which promotes vegetarianism, it was believed that eggs will be taken off the mid-day meal menu in Kolkata schools.
Members of Opposition parties in the State, including former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had raised questions over this move, considering eggs are a good source of protein. The decision to entrust ISKCON with providing mid-day meals in Kolkata schools was also criticised as an attempt by the BJP government in West Bengal to impose vegetarianism. Petitions were also filed before the Calcutta High Court over a religious organisation being given the task of providing mid-day meals without a proper tendering process.
How does this link to the vegetarianism vs. non-vegetarianism debate?
The controversy over this pilot project with ISKCON is part of the larger debate over vegetarianism vs non-vegetarianism with Opposition parties — particularly the Trinamool Congress (TMC) — alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to impose vegetarianism in the State.
During the campaign for the West Bengal Assembly polls 2026, the TMC had repeatedly pointed out that the BJP will not allow people of the State to eat non-vegetarian food once it comes to power. The BJP leaders and candidates went around campaigning with fish and tried to impress upon the people that the party is not in favour of imposing vegetarianism. Some of the BJP leaders were seen publicly consuming non-vegetarian food, particularly fish, to prove their point.
Non-veg food comprises an essential part of dietary preferences of people of West Bengal and the idea of imposing vegetarianism is likely to be resisted by the majority. Eggs are a rich source of protein and have been part of the mid-day meal menu in State-run schools for years.
Why has the BJP govt. reconsidered decision on eggs in the menu?
The decision to reconsider eggs in the menu of mid-day meals comes after careful consideration with the Suvendu Adhikari-led government not wanting to hand over an issue to the Opposition. “From August 1, as a pilot project, ‘satvik’ and protein-rich mid-day meals will be provided to children by ISKCON in large parts of Kolkata. Along with that, eggs will be provided to children through SHGs so that we can provide protein-rich meals to our future generations,” Mr. Adhikari said on Wednesday (July 29, 2026). This is largely seen as a course correction.
TMC MLA and Mamata Banerjee loyalist Kunal Ghosh said that the decision was taken under pressure of the Opposition. “I hear that, alongside ISKCON, eggs will come separately to schools. So why was it dropped in the first place?” he asked.
Context: Mid-day meals and school education in Bengal
The mid-day meal program is officially covered and renamed under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme. When the BJP government came to power in West Bengal, the allocation for one child per day under the scheme was ₹6.78 per day.
CM Adhikari said that the State government has increased the allocation for mid-day meals from ₹6.78 to ₹10 per student per day, so that the children can be provided wholesome nutrition. According to the Chief Minister, the State government had increased its share to raise the allocation to ₹ 10 per child.
As per the BJP leadership, school education was neglected during the Trinamool Congress regime. Allegations of corruption in the recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff at State-run schools had become a major issue during the TMC regime, and several government officials and Trinamool leaders were arrested in connection with the alleged cash-for-jobs scam.
The West Bengal Chief Minister now promises to fill about 50,000 posts of teachers which are vacant in the schools by the end of the year.
The other infrastructure upgrade which the new government is planning to provide include clean drinking water and toilets in all State-run schools. Further, a plan is also said to be in the works to install roof top solar panels in the schools.
Published – July 30, 2026 01:09 pm IST
