Government restores old school kitchen model after cancelling Akshaya Patra contract

Kolkata – On 15 September, the West Bengal government announced that it will revert to the previous arrangement of cooking mid‑day meals within school premises after cancelling the contract with the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

The decision covers government schools in North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Purulia and East Midnapore, the latter being the chief minister’s home district.

Akshaya Patra, part of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, had received clearance to run the lunch programme across these districts. With the clearance withdrawn, the department will reinstate the conventional kitchen setup used before the foundation’s involvement.

The Annamrita Foundation, also linked to ISKCON, will continue its operations in schools that lie within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits.

The scheme was originally rolled out after the BJP assumed power, aiming to expand a pilot project that began in KMC schools. Critics argued that a strictly vegetarian menu would deprive students of protein‑rich foods such as eggs. After the chief minister promised the inclusion of eggs, opposition faded and the budget was raised. The government has not furnished a detailed rationale for the abrupt policy shift.