Kolkata, Sept. 15 -- TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh on Monday dubbed the BJP government in West Bengal a "rollback government" after the School Education Department withdrew its approval for The Akshaya Patra Foundation to supply cooked mid-day meals to state-run schools in parts of four districts.
The approval, covering areas in North 24-Parganas, Howrah, East Midnapore and Purulia, was withdrawn through an order issued on September 11, without citing any reason. Several school heads had earlier raised concerns over the logistical arrangements needed for the foundation to supply cooked meals. They had also flagged difficulties in providing boiled eggs separately, as self-help groups were supplying eggs to schools in Kolkata where the foundation was serving vegetarian meals.
The development comes amid recent court proceedings concerning mid-day meal supplies. ISKCON has also clarified that it has no role in distributing mid-day meals in Kolkata schools and that Akshaya Patra is a separate organisation from its governing body.
Ghosh said the BJP government lacked a "strong base" and was taking decisions without adequate foresight, only to withdraw them later. He claimed the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government had established a proper mid-day meal programme providing students nutritious food, including eggs and chicken.
He alleged that the BJP government was taking credit for TMC-era schemes by merely renaming them. Ghosh also questioned the BJP's stand on inducting TMC leaders, saying the party had earlier vowed not to take them in but was now welcoming "good TMC" leaders, which, he claimed, reflected its lack of an organisational base.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.