Kolkata: Amid a controversy over midday meal supplies, the state school education department has withdrawn its approval for The Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide cooked meals at state-run schools in parts of four districts — North 24 Parganas, Howrah, East Midnapore and Purulia.An order issued on Sept 11 said the department’s earlier approval for the foundation to serve cooked mid-day meals had been withdrawn. The order did not specify a reason.Several school heads said arrangements were not ready for the foundation to supply cooked meals across the areas. They also flagged difficulties in providing boiled eggs separately, as self-help groups supplied eggs to schools in Kolkata where the foundation served vegetarian meals.The development comes amid recent court proceedings over midday meal supplies. Iskcon has clarified that it is not involved in distributing mid-day meals in Kolkata schools and that Akshaya Patra is a separate organisation from Iskcon’s governing body.
