MP's egg in midday meal' plan anti-religion: BJP

Bhopal: The Kamal Nath government Wednesday announced that eggs would be added in the midday meal provided to children in Anganwadi centres in Madhya Pradesh, inviting criticism from the Opposition BJP which described the move as “anti-Hindu religion”.

State women and child welfare minister Imarti Devi told reporters here that beginning next month, egg would be introduced in the midday meal offered to children in all 313 Anganwadi centres under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to tackle malnutrition in the state.

According to her, the government would go ahead with its plan to add egg to the midday meal provided to children in schools in the state later.

Madhya Pradesh has earned the dubious distinction of having the largest number of malnutrition-affected children in the country.

According to the National Family Health Survey 4, 2016, there were more than 45 lakh underweight and stunted children in the state. Of these, more than 10 lakh were severely underweight. “The situation of malnutrition among children in MP is alarming. If 45 lakh children are suffering from stunted growth, it clearly means that malnutrition is chronic,” Sachin Jain, an activist working on child health issues and also a member of the steering committee for the right to food, told this newspaper.

The committee submitted a report to chief minister Kamal Nath recently, recommending several measures, including introduction of egg in the midday meal for children, to combat malnutrition in the state.

According to Mr Jain, as many as 13 states in the country have already introduced egg in the midday meal offered to children in anganwadi centres.