Midday Meals Controversy Should Not Be About Eggs Alone
There are other aspects that should worry you.
There is a lot of outrage about ISKCON affiliated organisations taking over mid day deals supply logistics for government schools in West Bengal. This outrage at present is chiefly concerned with school kids not receiving eggs in their meals.
We would like to add to the outrage with some of our own views:
After so many decades of independence the governments of the day are having to lean on NGOs/orgs like ISKCON to deliver basic nutrition to India’s poorest school going kids. This should worry us.
It says something about our last mile level governance and staff’s integrity that we have not been able to build out modern kitchens in every government school (at feasible scales of >50 kids enrolled) and trust school staff to operate them cleanly.
The vast majority of tax payers are unlikely to object if government builds the necessary infrastructure to do what ISKCON’s Akshayapatra is doing today. Frankly, govt efforts will be more costly and less efficient - not to speak of dangers of corruption in procurements. Once again, we should worry as to how the simple task of feeding kids is now seen as outside government competence levels.
In any case the state of West Bengal state govt capacity today is such that Akshayapatra’s meals are likely an upgrade over what the govt’s own meals provisions were. It’s what the government has inherited.
Mid day meals must reflect the cuisine that kids are used to at home - adjusting for nutrition needs. What ISKCON’s Akshayapatra does not offer can always be supplemented by government.
Sentiments appreciated. But if we look at the history of the MMs one can understand why the government outsourced this "burden"/obligation to focussed NGOs. Back in the 1970s when MGR initiated it, MM controversies began. Hygiene, pilfering and frankly safety of the many makeshift (keet roof!) kitchens that sprung up. Gas cylinder shortages, wood fires - smoke pollution... the list goes on.
Outsourcing was, I think, pragmatic of the government. And Re the egg issue - much of it is coming from the powerful egg lobby. Adding boiled eggs as a supplement should be an easy thing for the government to implement but in the end it is surely a state govt responsibility not a federal one.
Plan is simple, instead of eggs, the soybean will come from USA, after all there's Indian commitment of USD 500 billion import over 5 years, as confirmed by many including US ambassador to India. The loss will be for those Indians in the poultry business. Time will tell the rest.