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The Maharashtra government said that School Management Committees (SMCs) that insist on providing eggs to their students will have to arrange the funds through public contributions
The mid-day meal scheme was implemented for students of classes 1 to 8 (Representative/File Photo)
On Tuesday, The Maharashtra government announced it would discontinue funding for eggs and sugar for the midday meal programmes for its government-run schools. Each egg was allocated an additional budget of Rs 5 per student. The Maharashtra government also said that School Management Committees (SMCs) that insist on providing eggs to their students will have to arrange the funds through public contributions, reported Hindustan Times.
“Egg Pulao and sweet dishes such as rice-kheer and Nachani Satva remain optional, but schools must arrange funds for sugar and eggs through public contributions,” reads the GR.
The Maharashtra government introduced eggs in the mid-day meal scheme in November 2023. Students were served boiled eggs, egg pulao, or egg biryani once a week – either on a Wednesday or a Friday. On other days, they were provided khichdi, made of rice and lentils. Eggs were included in the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Scheme, as per the GR.
In rural areas, the school management committees were directed to purchase eggs and provide boiled eggs, egg pulao, or egg biryani every Wednesday or Friday. The GR released on November 2023 also said that children who are vegetarians will be given bananas or any fruit. The mid-day meal scheme was implemented for students of classes 1 to 8.
According to the report, the state govt spent Rs 50 crore annually to provide 24 lakh school children one egg per week. The revised meal plan will comprise 10 different dishes that can be prepared using the existing funds allocated for raw materials.
Meanwhile, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in Maharashtra recently said 81 schools in the city have been operating illegally and asked their management to shut the institutions immediately. These comprise 79 English medium and two Hindi medium schools, including some managed by renowned business houses. Most of these unauthorised schools are located in the Mumbra and Diva areas of Thane, according to the list.
