Ande ka funda: Schools ask for hike in budget for eggs in meals

Mumbai:The rising price of eggs has dealt a blow to a recent government mandate to enhance the protein intake of children through the midday meals in state schools.

Recently, the government had asked schools to serve eggs and bananas to children as part of their meals. It had allocated ₹5 per egg, which is way below the current price, making it a challenge for schools to follow the fresh mandate. Now, school administrations across the state have requested an increase in funds to provide the essential nutrition.

The GR, under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana’, allows schools to purchase eggs from the local market, which costs not more than the allocated fund. But schools are not only labouring under the burden of price but also unavailability.

“After this GR, we started looking for egg suppliers. But they are not ready to provide eggs under ₹5. The same issue is faced by nearby school from our villages,” said Hansu Bhore, a member of school management committee (SMC) from a zilla parishad school near Karjat.

Mahendra Ganpule, spokesperson for the Maharashtra School Principals Association, pointed to the absence of a government supply chain for eggs. “Unlike the supply of rice and other grains, there is no established mechanism to provide eggs. Obtaining eggs for less than ₹5, even in a small village, is challenging.” He also raised apprehensions about the quality, if sourced from local suppliers.

Highlighting the issue of fluctuating egg prices, another member of SMC said, “Given the constantly changing prices, not a single supplier from the tehsil is willing to provide eggs under ₹5 throughout the year. We urge the government to address this issue and instruct egg suppliers to offer eggs at a reasonable price for schools.”