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Thane: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said the govt should request all laadki bahin beneficiaries to contribute Rs 50 to the state if it is unable to provide eggs to over 24 lakh govt and aided school students through their midday meal schemes due to financial constraints.
Awhad made this scathing remark at the state on Friday after staging a peaceful protest at the Thane collector office, where he presented a set of sugar and eggs to the administration as a symbolic protest against the govt plan.
“Govt data shows the annual cost of providing eggs to students is just Rs 50 crores, while the cost for laadki bahin scheme advertisements is Rs 200 crores. The govt has money to spend on sisters, but can’t allocate funds for the nutrition of students, most of whom hail from poor backgrounds. The govt should appeal to the laadki bahin beneficiaries (if they are short of funds), who I feel would readily sacrifice Rs 50 to ensure their kid brothers (students) get nutritious food,” he said.
The eggs were introduced to ensure students get the necessary protein required for their physical and intellectual growth, and abruptly stopping it may impact their growth and holistic development, he said.
The legislator further questioned if the state was playing appeasement politics and neglecting the holistic well-being of these students. “Few BJP-ruled states have adopted this trend. However, the majority of Maharashtra residents consume non-veg food, and it seems that a certain group which consumes veg food may have influenced this decision,” he told the media.
District Collector Ashok Shingare said the issue would be communicated to the state.
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