Banana or egg? Karnataka to seek parents’ consent on midday meal; choice to be taken during school admissions

BENGALURU: The state govt will, from now on, seek parents’ consent on food preferences of their wards during school admission, following a controversy over distribution of boiled eggs under the midday meal scheme.The decision comes after some School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) passed resolutions to withhold eggs on certain days. In the legislative council Monday, BJP’s N Ravikumar cited findings from surprise checks by the Azim Premji Foundation which donated Rs 1,500 crore to provide eggs for three years. In a survey covering 762 schools, it found that 568 were infrequently distributing eggs, resulting in the govt issuing notices to SDMCs concerned.

Madhu Bangarappa, school education minister, told the House that some parents restrict children from eating eggs on specific days. “We have decided to obtain consent from parents on their kids’ preferred diet or choice between egg and banana,” he said. “We are reaching out to parents since children cannot make these decisions.”Denying opposition allegations of fund misuse, Bangarappa said, “There is no misappropriation. But due to variations in egg prices in the open market, SDMCs retain some part of the funds.”