West Bengal revokes permission for Akshaya Patra to serve cooked meals in four districts

The West Bengal school education department issued an order on Sept 11 rescinding its prior approval for The Akshaya Patra Foundation to deliver cooked mid-day meals in state-run schools across North 24 Parganas, Howrah, East Midnapore and Purulia. The directive did not disclose a reason for the reversal. Several school heads indicated that the logistical setup was insufficient for the foundation to roll out cooked meals in the designated areas and highlighted challenges in providing boiled eggs separately, since self-help groups already supply eggs to Kolkata schools where the foundation offers vegetarian dishes.

This development follows recent legal proceedings related to the state's midday-meal scheme. Additionally, Iskcon stated it has no role in distributing meals in Kolkata schools and is distinct from the Akshaya Patra organisation.