Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has announced that it will stop funding eggs and sugar for midday meal programmes in government schools. The decision comes as various Hindu right-wing groups protested against proving eggs in the meal.
In November 2023, the state introduced a policy to provide one egg per week to students under the midday meal scheme to address protein deficiency. Students who did not want eggs were given the option of fruit instead. Each egg was allotted an extra Rs 5 per student. However, after protests from right-wing groups, the policy was revised, restricting egg distribution in schools where at least 40% of parents opposed it. Schools receiving meals from NGOs like Akshaya Patra were also excluded from the scheme.
A new government resolution states that if school management committees (SMCs) wish to continue providing eggs, they must raise funds through public donations. Dishes like egg pulao and sweets such as rice kheer and nachni satva remain optional, but schools will need to arrange their own funds for sugar and eggs.
The state previously spent Rs 50 crore annually to provide eggs to 24 lakh students, a government official to Hindustan Times. With the removal of eggs, the revised meal plan now includes ten different dishes using existing funds.
Before Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh had already removed eggs from its midday meal program, and Goa recently scrapped its plan to introduce them following opposition. In contrast, southern states have expanded their egg distribution to ensure students receive adequate protein.
