Kolkata: The state school education department has approved Annamrita Foundation to serve cooked mid-day meals to state schools under PM POSHAN across all districts of West Bengal, in phases.The order said the non-profit will roll out the initiative in phases to ensure seamless logistics and quality delivery. District authorities have been asked to cooperate by providing school enrolment details and helping identify suitable spaces for central kitchens.The PM POSHAN service was launched after BJP came to govt as a joint initiative of the state and Annamrita Foundation, an Iskcon affiliate.The first phase began on Aug 1 with a select list of state-run schools in Kolkata. CM Suvendu Adhikari announced that nutritious, freshly cooked and hygienic meals would eventually be served in schools across all other districts.Swapan Mandal, general secretary of the Bengal Teachers’ and Employees’ Association, said: “Relieving schools of mid-day meal operations is a welcome step, but expanding Annamrita Foundation statewide raises real infrastructure concerns. It is a bit surprising to see that approval was granted today to provide mid-day meals through Iskcon’s affiliate across all districts. However, we believe that the responsibility of providing mid-day meals should indeed be taken away from schools.”
