Kolkata: After attending the Ratha Yatra celebration organised by Iskcon at its Albert Road temple on Thursday, CM Suvendu Adhikari said the state govt has partnered with it to deliver “nutritious” food to eradicate malnutrition among students.“Delivering a good, nutritious meal is extremely important. Students who receive mid-day meals in our schools primarily belong to the lower middle class and economically backward families. Most children from affluent families do not depend on this scheme. Therefore, nutritious food is essential to eradicate malnutrition,” Adhikari said.The CM emphasised the importance of distributing the food in a transparent and hygienic manner as the primary responsibility of the govt.Adhikari also spoke out against the Trinamool govt, alleging that over the past few years, various allegations of corruption surrounding the mid-day meal scheme had surfaced.“The corruption reported over the past few years regarding the mid-day meal scheme is extremely unfortunate. Committing irregularities involving children’s food is tantamount to a sin. In the coming days, Iskcon will take the responsibility of delivering high-quality, nutritious food to our children. That is our duty,” he said.Adhikari added that the Bengal govt was also planning to partner with various other spiritual and philanthropic organisations for social service in the future.In this context, he stressed that the administration should not remain confined only to govt officials or elected representatives; rather, the experience of organisations working on social welfare for a long time will be utilised.“We want to reconstruct Bengal by taking along Iskcon, Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha and other organisations dedicated to the service of humanity. Alongside the govt, the role of these institutions is highly significant for the development of society,” he said.Adhikari confirmed that all administrative work was complete for rolling out the mid-day meal scheme in the Kolkata area by Iskcon from Aug 1.
