Maharashtra Government Withdraws Funding for Eggs and Sugar in Mid-Day Meal Scheme
Maharashtra Government Withdraws Funding for Eggs and Sugar in Mid-Day Meal Scheme
In a recent development, the Maharashtra government has announced that it will no longer provide funding for eggs and sugar in school meals, following widespread protests. Instead, schools will be required to rely on public donations to support nutritional programs.
On Tuesday, the government made the decision to discontinue funding for eggs in school meals, citing a recent protest. As a result, school management committees (SMCs) will be required to explore alternative funding sources, including public contributions, if they wish to continue serving eggs to students. The provision of optional menu items, including Egg Pulao, rice-kheer, and Nachani Satva, will be left to the discretion of individual SMCs
Egg provision under the scheme:
To address protein deficiency among students, the state government launched a program in November 2023, offering one egg per week to students participating in the mid-day meal scheme. Fruit was provided as an alternative for students who opted out of eggs. The initiative came with an additional budget allocation of ₹5 per student per egg.
Following protests from right-wing groups, the government revised its egg provision policy. The modified policy stipulated that schools would not serve eggs if 40% or more of parents objected. Furthermore, schools partnering with NGOs like Akshaya Patra to provide meals were no longer required to offer eggs.
50 Crores expenditure on eggs alone:
As per the sources, before the revision, the state government spent ₹50 crore each year to provide 24 lakh school students with one egg per week. The new meal plan, however, comprises ten innovative dishes that can be prepared using the existing funds earmarked for raw materials.
Prior to Maharashtra, the Madhya Pradesh and Goa governments too dropped its plan to introduce eggs in the menu following pushback from certain quarters. In contrast, southern states have taken a proactive approach, boosting egg provision to meet children’s protein requirements.
In its government resolution, the Maharashtra government explained that the decision to discontinue funding for eggs and sugar was made in response to feedback from stakeholders, who highlighted the challenges of implementing the proposed three-course meal plan.
