Now known as the PM POSHAN scheme, the midday meal scheme covers around 12.21 crore children in government and government-aided schools.
In a controversial decision, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced that it will be ending funding for eggs and sugar for the midday meal scheme in public schools, reported Hindustan Times. The decision comes after some right-wing Hindutva groups protested over the policy.
Schools have reportedly been instructed against serving eggs where over 40 percent of parents opposed them. Schools that receive meals from NGOs such as Akshaya Patra are excluded from the egg provision.
The revised provision stated that if school management insists on providing students with eggs, then they will have to generate resources through contributions by the public for both sugar and eggs. The Mahayuti government resolution stated that egg pulao, sweet dishes like rice kheer, and Nachani Satva remain optional.
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The government resolution, after revision, includes ten different dishes that can be made using existing funds allocated for raw materials.
To overcome protein deficiency among students, the Maharashtra government introduced one egg per week for each students under the midday meal in November 2023. Each egg was given a budget of Rs 5 per student. Those who did not want eggs could opt for fruits.
The state spent Rs 50 crore per year for giving over 24 lakh school students an egg per week, a Hindustan Times report quoted a government official who didn’t wish to be named.
Backlash Over Maharashtra’s Decision
School management committee (SMC) members questioned the government’s priorities. “The government spends Rs. 200 crores on just advertisements for the Ladki Bahin scheme but refuses to provide essential nutrition to students,” pointed out Shailesh Gharat, a member of an SMC in Thane, as reported by the Hindustan Times.
“SMCs have already raised funds for school infrastructure such as computer labs through community support and CSR initiatives. Now, the government can’t even provide students with eggs once a week,” said Mahendra Ganpule, former spokesperson of the Maharashtra State Principals’ Association, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
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Other States That Dropped Eggs
Madhya Pradesh and Goa are two other states that removed eggs from their midday meal menu before the Maharashtra government.
Goa rolled back the eggs from the menu after some students, parents, and community members who follow strict vegetarian diets objected.
Although eggs were initially introduced as a pilot program in 2022, it was dropped after “it did not resonate well with students, parents, and the community. While there’s a common belief that everyone in Goa is non-vegetarian, that’s not the case. Many people are strict vegetarians, which affected the program’s acceptance,” Goa Education Director Shailesh Zingde told ThePrint.
The Goa government instead shifted to millet-based items like chikkis and laddus. Notably, Goa always had a vegetarian midday meal menu.
Eggs have been a contentious issue in Madhya Pradesh. Under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, the state had removed eggs from the menu in 2015 before the next government under Kamal Nath overturned the decision. Chouhan’s government then again revoked eggs from the midday meal menu, and they were replaced by milk.
Southern States Increase Provisions
While states like Maharashtra, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh dropped eggs from the menu, southern states, on the other hand, increased the number of eggs given to children to ensure their protein requirements are met.
The Karnataka government announced in 2024 that it will provide one egg six days of the week.
In January this year, the Kerala government announced it was provisioning an additional Rs 22.66 crore to provide students eggs once a week and milk twice a week.
Currently, at least 14 states and one Union Territory offer eggs as an option in mid-day meals, as per data presented in the Lok Sabha in February 2023.
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Why Eggs Are Important in the Midday Menu Scheme?
A 2015 report on the National Public Radio (NPR) quoted food rights activist Sachin Jain as saying that eggs were an easy way to provide much-needed protein and fat to malnourished children. “They are easy to procure locally, and storage and transportation aren’t a problem,” he said.
Midday Meal
Officially known as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, the midday meal scheme, launched in August 1995, aims to boost universalising primary education along with fulfilling the nutritional levels of children.
Now known as the PM POSHAN scheme, the midday meal scheme covers around 12.21 crore children in government and government-aided schools.
According to government guidelines, midday meals for primary students (class 1-5) must provide at least 450 calories and 12 grams of protein. Meals for upper primary students (classes 6 to 8) should contain 700 calories and 20 grams of protein.
While the scheme is primarily funded by the central government, state governments and union territories bear 40 percent of the cost and are responsible for implementing the program.
States have the flexibility to choose their menu based on local preferences if they meet the required nutritional standards. Some states choose to provide eggs using their own resources.
