BJP comes out against new items served in mid-day meals of students, alleges govt's move is to serve their own interests

KOLKATA: The state government has decided to include chicken and seasonal fruits in the mid-day meals of school children in West Bengal. Chicken and seasonal fruits will be served weekly once for four months for additional nutrition in addition to the rice, potatoes, soybeans and eggs currently served as lunch under PM POSHAN.

The state government says that these are given as additional nutrition for the physical and intellectual growth of children. But the opposition says that the Mamata government's move is ahead of this year's panchayat elections and the subsequent Lok Sabha elections. They point out that the fact that the government has not given any indication of distribution since then is proof of this. The additional items will be served from January 23 to April 23 in every block on different days of the week.

In the new scheme, an amount of Rs 20 will be spent per week on providing additional nutrition to every student. A fund of Rs 371 cr has been allotted by the state government for introducing the same. More than 1.16 crore students in government and aided schools are beneficiaries of the mid-day meal scheme, the cost of which is shared between the state and the center in a ratio of 60:40.

The ruling Trinamool Congress has rejected the allegation of giving chicken and fruits to win votes. Trinamool centers say that it is BJP's problem to see politics in everything. The party says that Mamata Banerjee has always been on the side of the common man and the new decision reaffirms that fact.