‘Why change what’s working?’: Opposition to Akshaya Patra in West Bengal goes beyond eggs in mid-day meals

The West Bengal government is considering adopting Odisha's centralised mid-day meal model for Kolkata schools, a move that will likely dismantle a decentralised system that both supplied school meals and provided an income to women and NGOs.

As per the Odisha model, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ (ISKCON) Akshaya Patra Foundation will be given the responsibility for preparing mid-day meals and separate funds will be provided to the schools for eggs. West Bengal government has already opted for Akshaya Patra’s centralised cooking and delivery system for Kolkata Municipal School, as announced in the recent budget, the newly-elected BJP government’s first. Akshaya Patra insists on vegetarian meals and will not provide eggs, which have been part of West Bengal’s mid-day meal programme.

Teachers and education activists say the state's decentralised system has done much more than provide food — it has improved attendance, strengthened community participation and ensured children receive meals they enjoy.

"If ISKCON is given the responsibility for preparing mid-day meals, obviously they will not provide eggs. That is wrong. Eggs have very good nutritional value and students should not be deprived of them," says Nirjhar Kundu of the Usthi United Primary Teachers Welfare Association.

His concern is one of several being raised after the state indicated that it is considering the Odisha model. Teachers and education activists say that West Bengal's decentralised system, where Self-Help Groups prepare meals in or near schools, has become an important part of the education system.

For many teachers, the issue is not whether vegetarian food is nutritious. They acknowledge that soybean, rajma and other vegetarian foods are rich in protein. Their concern is whether replacing eggs and shifting cooking away from schools could affect children's eating habits, attendance and the involvement of local communities.

The concern is echoed by Ananda Handa, General Secretary of Bangiya Prathamik Shikha Samiti in East Medinipur, who says children look forward to egg days. "Eggs are served twice a week. Those are the days children eat properly in school. Otherwise, many students are not interested in eating only vegetables. We also try to provide fruits whenever possible. Eggs have to remain part of the mid-day meal," he said.

Kolkata schools

Debjani Mukherjee, headmistress of Metropolitan Institution, a government-aided school, said they are expecting Akshaya Patra meals supply to begin by the end of July or August. Until now, the school has been receiving cooked meals from a local NGO, Club India. Mukherjee pointed out that different schools in Kolkata have followed different arrangements.

"Schools that have enough space have their own kitchens. Schools like ours, located in the heart of Kolkata, have to depend on NGOs because we simply do not have the space to cook meals on the campus," she said. "Schools such as Collins Institute have their own kitchens, while those like Arya Kanya Mahavidyalaya get meals prepared by Self-Help Groups."

Soma Panigrahi, headmistress of Buniyadi Bidyapith Girls' School, a government-sponsored school, pointed out that meals have been provided at her school for long before midday meals became national policy. The school, run by the All India Women's Conference (AIWC), has a long tradition of serving food to students. Founded in the early 1950s by social worker Ashoka Gupta and a group of women, the school believed from the very beginning that children could not learn on empty stomachs.

"Our founders understood that food is necessary for education," Panigrahi said. "From around 1954, long before the mid-day meal scheme was introduced, students were served food after contributing 50 paise. It was not a government programme, but the idea was the same—to ensure that children did not study on an empty stomach." The menu evolved over the years.

When Panigrahi joined the school in 2008, students were served a different meal every day of the week. Today, the school continues to provide eggs regularly and also serves special meals on important occasions. "We don't celebrate Saraswati Puja because it is a religious festival, but we celebrate Republic Day for an entire week.

The school has its own kitchen, which Panigrahi believes allows it to respond to students' needs in ways that a centralised system cannot. "If ISKCON takes over, our students will have a very difficult time because they do not prefer vegetarian food," she said. Panigrahi is also concerned about the future of the cooks who have been associated with the programme for years. "If cooking shifts outside schools, what will happen to the women who prepare these meals every day?" she asked.

PM POSHAN: Women’s livelihood concerns

The concerns about employment resonate well beyond Kolkata. Teachers are also worried about the future of thousands of women associated with self-help groups (SHGs), who currently prepare and serve meals in government schools across West Bengal.

Kinkar Adhikari of Shikshanuragi Oikya Mancha says the programme has created livelihoods for many self-help groups while keeping the school and the local community closely connected.

"Nothing should be imposed, whether it is food or clothing," he said. "Eggs are served twice a week in schools and many schools also prepare chicken or fish on special occasions. If the responsibility of preparing mid-day meals goes to an organisation like ISKCON, then what happens to the people who cook the meals today? What happens to the self-help groups? They are worried about losing their jobs."

According to Adhikari, many teachers also fear that if the model is introduced in Kolkata, it could gradually be extended to schools across the state.

"For years, schools managed the programme even when funding was limited. Now that the funding has improved slightly, why should the responsibility be handed over to an outside organisation?" he asked. Why change what is working, teachers and experts want to know.

Mid-day meal as part of schooling

Kumar Rana, a former member of Pratichi Trust, an organisation set up by Amartya Sen, has closely followed the evolution of the school meal programme in West Bengal, and said the discussion goes far beyond eggs or who prepares the food.

He believes the PM POSHAN scheme has become an integral part of the education system.

"A child will always have food when they are at home. When they spend five to eight hours in school, that becomes their home," Rana said. "So, food should be provided from the school. A child should feel that the school is their home. If they cannot feel that, then no studies happen and no education happens."

According to Rana, the programme should be viewed not only as a nutrition scheme but also as an important part of children's schooling experience.

Mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal

Tamil Nadu had pioneered the concept of hot cooked meals, introducing it to Madras Corporation schools in 1952 and then expanding it statewide in 1980. "Tamil Nadu institutionalised the cooked mid-day meal programme. Kerala also followed a similar approach to an extent," he said. "In November 2001, the Supreme Court directed that every government school in the country should provide cooked mid-day meals," Rana said.

Following the Supreme Court's direction, West Bengal gradually introduced the programme.

Rana recalled that in 2003, around 300 schools were initially selected — 100 each in Murshidabad, Birbhum and Jalpaiguri districts. "By 2005, almost all schools in the state had been covered except those in Kolkata," he said.

Outside Kolkata, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) gradually took charge of preparing and serving meals. Rana believes this became one of the strengths of the state's model.

Opposition to centralised kitchens

Rana said that after the change in government in 2011, a committee was formed following directions regarding Kolkata's schools. The committee recommended that organisations such as ISKCON's Akshaya Patra be brought in to manage the programme.

However, he had opposed the proposal. "We opposed it because West Bengal had created an alternative model that other states could follow."

He pointed out that states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh had already adopted centralised kitchens run by third-party organisations.

While he acknowledged that food quality is important, he believes that nutrition alone cannot be the only measure of success. "Food quality is very important, but that is not the only thing. The programme also brings together teachers, parents and the community. If cooking becomes centralised, food will simply be prepared at one place, delivered and the process ends there."