Key Points

AFTER THE WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT, led by the newly-installed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), announced that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will be providing cooked food for students under the mid-day meal scheme, eggs are going to be removed from the meals served in government and aided schools.

Radharaman Das, Kolkata spokesperson for ISKCON, stated that in place of eggs students will be provided with vegetarian sources of protein like paneer, rajma, soybeans, pulses, and other vegetarian protein sources.

Announcing the decision on Monday, June 22, 2026, Bengal finance minister Swapan Dasgupta said during his budget speech:  “The material cost for mid-day meals in primary schools will be enhanced to ₹10 per student from ₹6.78. Iskcon will be engaged to provide nutritious cooked mid-day meals in schools under the KMC area.”

Students in West Bengal are given eggs once a week under the current mid-day meal scheme, with rice, dal, and potato curry served on the remaining school days.

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Earlier, other protein sources such as chicken or fish were also made available to students with the help of funds raised by teachers. Vegetarian students had the option to opt out for consuming non-vegetarian options and could choose other alternatives. However, the new government partnership with ISKCON means that students have a vegetarian-only menu.  

“We have empanelled dietitians to curate our menus,” Das said. “We will ensure that whatever nutrients a child gets from eggs will be matched or exceeded by the superior quality protein and vitamins in our meals.”

ISKCON will be providing food for the mid-day scheme via its Annamitra Foundation, Das stated. He added that the organization was waiting for a list of schools from the state government, and is planning to set up kitchens to prepare and distribute the cooked meals.

This isn't the first time ISKCON has introduced a vegetarian-only menu for mid-day meals. In states like Karnataka and Odisha, the organization was assisting in the Mid-day deal scheme through its Akshaya Patra Yojana, and had received backlash for excluding onion, garlic, eggs, and other items from its menu.

TMC MP Derek O’Brien’s criticism

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien has criticized the state government on this decision, accusing it of depriving students of essential nutrients and imposing vegetarianism. He also alleged that eggs are being used as a political issue. 

"Throw eggs at rivals. But deprive children of nutrition by taking eggs off from midday meals. Imposing vegetarianism. Bengal rejects this," the TMC leader said.

Why eggs are a better source of protein than vegetarian options

Eggs are one of the highest-quality and most bioavailable sources of protein available. One large egg is a rich and complete source of protein, containing about 6.3 grams of protein and provides all nine essential amino acids. Additionally, eggs are considered to be a key source of protein which helps reduce malnutrition in children. 

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In contrast, some vegetarian protein sources such as pulses and rajma aren't good choices, as they lack essential nutrients that are vital for growth and development. 

What is the mid-day meal scheme?

The mid-day meal scheme, or the National Programme on Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) which is the policy’s official name, is a center-sponsored scheme launched in 1995. Initially, under this scheme, children were provided a dry ration of 100 grams per child per day. Later in 2004, the scheme was revised to provide cooked mid-day meals with 300 calories and 8-12 grams of protein to all children studying in Classes I to V in government and aided schools. Mid-day meals up to class 8 in government and aided schools were declared to be a legal right by the National Food Security Act, 2013.

[Edited by: Harsh Pandey]

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