Kolkata, Sept. 1 -- Amid an ongoing PIL at the Calcutta High Court over the supply of mid-day meals in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) schools, TMC on Tuesday claimed that ISKCON has now informed the court that the contract was not awarded to it but instead to one Annamitra Foundation.
The TMC shared a post of its advocate Arko Kumar Nag. The post comprised documents which purportedly showed ISKCON (Respondent No.5) declaring that the contract was awarded to Annamitra Foundation.
ISKCON said the foundation and ISKCON have separate managements and trustees and are legally distinct entities, with no overlap in their functions or responsibilities. Further, it clarified that it is not involved in the distribution of mid-day meals in KMC-area schools or anywhere else in West Bengal.
The development comes after a PIL challenged the reported decision to involve ISKCON in supplying cooked meals under the PM POSHAN scheme in KMC schools.
The plea had raised concerns over the role of a religious organisation in a state-funded welfare scheme, as well as the livelihood of self-help groups involved in preparing and supplying meals. The plea also claimed that replacing the existing system could jeopardise the livelihood of thousands of self-help groups and community organisations presently associated with meal preparation. It had raised concerns over the secular character of a State-funded programme, as well as issues relating to children's dietary preferences and nutritional requirements.
The High Court on July 8 had directed the West Bengal government to clarify the status of a proposal to entrust the preparation and supply of cooked meals under the PM POSHAN scheme in Kolkata schools to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.