Bengal Mid-day meal review: Central team’s arrival to be announced soon, says Pradhan

“We read some reports in newspapers about irregularities in the mid-day meal. On January 5, leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari also submitted a report about irregularities on the same issue. In 2020, the state government had objected to the visit of any such joint review mission (JRM). But this time, we are determined to send a JRM. Central officials, state officials and experts from the state will be part of the proposed team,” said the minister.

In a letter to the Union education minister on January 5, Adkhikari had urged him to send a central team to probe the alleged misappropriation of the mid-day meal funds in state-run schools.

Hailing the minister’s announcement, Adhikari said in a tweet, “I welcome @EduMinOfIndia’s decision to constitute a Joint Review Mission to review the implementation of the Central Sponsored Scheme; Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) in WB.”

“WB Govt’s been using this scheme as a propaganda tool all along. It’s time they’re exposed. An essential prerequisite for the implementation of the PM POSHAN Scheme; i.e. to convene meetings of District Level Committee under Chairpersonship of Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) has been conveniently ignored by the WB Govt as a large number of MPs in WB belong to the BJP,” he added.

The Mamata Banerjee government recently allotted an additional Rs 372 crore to include chicken and seasonal fruits in the existing mid-day meal menu. The additional items will be served once a week along with the existing mid-day meal menu — rice, potato, soybeans and eggs — to the 11.6 million children in the state-run and -aided schools.

Responding to Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s recent claim that many BJP MLAs have been in touch with him, the Union minister said, “TMC is making such claims as it knows very well that the BJP has become the first choice among the people of West Bengal. Out of fear of losing power, the ruling party here has resorted to spreading such lies.”

Addressing a public meeting in Nadia district in December last year, Banerjee had claimed that many BJP MLAs had sent feelers to the TMC for joining the party, but the TMC would keep its guards on.