ISKCON to provide midday meals in schools in Kolkata, parts of Bengal from Aug 1: Suvendu

Kolkata, Jul 13 (PTI) ISKCON will start supplying midday meals to schools in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal from August 1, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Monday after a meeting with state education ministers and senior officials of the Union education ministry. Adhikari also announced that the per-student allocation under the primary school midday meal scheme would be increased to Rs 10 from the existing Rs 6.78 from August 1. "ISKCON will start supplying midday meals to schools in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal from August 1. They will also provide some subsidy. The food will be of very high quality. The allocation for the primary school midday meal will be increased to Rs 10 per student from the existing Rs 6.78," Adhikari told reporters after the meeting at Bikash Bhavan. The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, state Minister of School Education Dipak Barman, Minister of Higher and Technical Education Jagannath Chattopadhyay and senior bureaucrats. "We have joined the National Education Policy as well as PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India). In the last three years, the Centre could not release funds because the previous state government did not follow its policy. We expect to receive this financial year's grant within a week," Adhikari said. He said the discussions covered every component of the education sector, from primary and upper primary schools to colleges and universities. "The focus is on providing modern education without forcing students to depend on private institutions, maintaining the student-teacher ratio, ensuring a balance between male and female teachers, appointing professors transparently on the basis of merit without political interference and modernising educational institutions," he said. "These schools -- primary, upper primary and high -- will immediately receive composite grants which they did not get over the last three years because of the wrong policies of the previous government," he said, adding that around 81,000 schools had been identified for the scheme. Adhikari said the government would upgrade infrastructure in schools as part of the overhaul. "Midday meals will be cooked on gas and, step by step, solar panels will be installed. Every school will have clean toilets, arsenic-free drinking water and utensils for students to have their meals," he said. He said fans would be installed in schools in Birbhum, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia and Jhargram, where students continue to suffer because of extreme summer temperatures. Adhikari also said sanitary napkin vending machines would be installed in girls' schools and co-educational institutions, while Aquaguard water purifiers would also be provided. The chief minister asserted that his government would not allow the commercialisation of education and announced inspections of private educational institutions. "We have decided to inspect private educational institutions and universities that have been granted no-objection certificates. If we find that they are following the prescribed norms and their fees are properly regulated, only then will they be allowed to continue. We will not allow education to be commercialised," he said. Adhikari said the state government would align its education laws with the National Education Policy. "According to the National Education Policy, we will take our education sector to a higher level. I have already asked the education minister to amend the existing law and introduce a Bill in the next Assembly session so that chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of educational institutions are chosen from among guardians. This system is already in place in 21 states," he said. On school recruitment, Adhikari alleged that the previous government had created confusion over OBC reservations. Referring to social media posts questioning when his government would complete recruitment in educational institutions, he said the state would withdraw from the pending Supreme Court case, which, according to him, would facilitate completion of the viva voce process for around 6,000 candidates awaiting recruitment. "The previous government created confusion regarding OBC reservations. We corrected it by bringing a law in the Assembly, but that alone is not enough because the previous government had approached the Supreme Court. The state government will withdraw from the case, which will help in completing the pending viva voce of around 6,000 candidates." "And as per our 'Sankalpa Patra', there will be no political leader involved in the process of recruitment. Senior bureaucrat Dushwant Nariwal has been appointed as the chairman for this and he has already taken charge today. Recruitment will be carried out transparently on the basis of merit while following the reservation roster for SC, ST, OBC and persons with disabilities," the chief minister added. PTI SCH MNB