As Bengal drops eggs from mid-day meals, Tamil Nadu and Odisha show another way
The West Bengal government has replaced eggs in school mid-day meals with a vegetarian menu provided by ISKCON, sparking a debate on nutritional policy. The article contrasts this with the long-standing, state-run feeding programs in Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
Why it matters
The shift highlights the intersection of religious ideology, public health, and state-sponsored social welfare programs in India.
In India, the mid-day meal has long been more than food. Since its expansion under the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education and, later, the PM POSHAN scheme, the plate handed to a child at noon has functioned as a state guarantee that schooling would come with at least one reliable meal. It has also made the classroom a space where the state’s concern for children is registered materially, through nutrition, attendance, and retention.
The article frames the change in menu as a potential loss of nutritional quality compared to established state-run models, reflecting a critical stance on the policy change.
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