Maharashtra to reintroduce eggs in midday meals after backlash

Mumbai: Following widespread criticism over its decision to stop paying for eggs and sugar for its midday meals programme, Maharashtra government has decided to take back that order, said school education minister Dadaji Bhuse.

“We had initially decided to discontinue funding for eggs in the midday meal program. However, after receiving feedback from experts, teachers, and local communities, we recognised the importance of eggs in maintaining students’ protein intake and overall health. Therefore, we have decided to reinstate the provision of eggs and bananas once a week,” he told HT.

Sources in the school education department confirmed that eggs and bananas will be back on the midday meal menu from the new academic year. In addition, the government is expected to double the allocation for this from the earlier ₹50 crore to ₹100 crore in the state budget that will be tabled on March 10. “All administrative requirements for the scheme’s implementation will be fulfilled,” assured Bhuse.

As reported earlier by this newspaper the Maharashtra government had introduced eggs once a week or bananas for 50 lakh school children under the midday meal programme in 2023 and allocated ₹50 crore for this. However, following protests from certain groups, it modified the policy. On January 28, it issued a Government Resolution (GR) discontinuing funding for eggs and sugar in midday meals provided to students of government-run schools and directed school management committees (SMCs) to arrange funds through public contributions if they wished to continue providing these nutritional supplements.

The withdrawal of ₹50 crore under the revised midday meal plan which is aligned with the PM Poshan scheme prompted strong reactions from multiple stakeholders including educationists and school management committees.

Responding to the backlash, the education minister and department officials reconsidered the decision and opted to restore the earlier scheme. A proposal for ₹100 crore has now been submitted for approval in the upcoming state budget.

A senior education department official clarified that students would receive either boiled eggs or egg rice based on their school’s preference. “Eggs are not included in the PM Poshan scheme, but state governments have the discretion to supplement the meals with additional food items from their own budgets. Exercising this right, the Maharashtra government has decided to continue providing eggs, with a formal announcement expected in the budget or shortly thereafter,” said the education department bureaucrat. He added that individual SMCs would have the autonomy to decide how and when to distribute the eggs to students.

Maharashtra is not the first state to face controversy over eggs in midday meals. Madhya Pradesh had previously removed eggs from its meal program, while the Goa government too recently dropped plans to introduce them, citing opposition from certain groups. In contrast, several southern states have expanded their egg distribution programs. Last year, Karnataka announced it would provide schoolchildren with one egg six days a week under the midday meal scheme. More recently, Kerala allocated an additional Rs. 22.66 crore to ensure students receive eggs once a week and milk twice a week.