MP Fisheries minister pitches for eggs for non-veg students

Legging up the debate on egg versus milk, Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Kusum Mehdale on Tuesday made a strong pitch for eggs. The minister said that eggs could be served to non-vegetarian children “if their parents had no problem.”

Updated on: Jun 24, 2015, 19:19:31 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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Legging up the debate on egg versus milk, Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Kusum Mehdale on Tuesday made a strong pitch for eggs. The minister said that eggs could be served to non-vegetarian children “if their parents had no problem.”

The comments come on the day when Madhya Pradesh government formally announced that sweetened flavoured milk would be served to 29 lakh children through 92,000 anganwadis in the state thrice a week from July 1.

“Milk can be served to vegetarian children, while eggs to non-vegetarian children in the state,” the cabinet minister was quoted as saying.

Mehdale, who holds the fisheries development portfolio, told media persons: “Milk is good but there is no harm in serving eggs to non-vegetarian children if their parents don’t have any objections. Milk can be served to vegetarian kids.” She, however, asked the media not to weave a controversy out of her statement.

This is not the first time Mehdale has issued a statement courting controversy in the backdrop of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s reiteration of vegetarian anganwadi meal menu.

On June 1, Mehdale had urged people to increase fish consumption in presence of Chouhan in Jabalpur during a state-level fishermen’s convention.

Mehdale had urged people to add fish in the diet of their children as it was a good source of protein and could remove malnutrition in areas where fish was available in abundance. She had even sought ‘protection’ from Chouhan if she faced opposition for urging people to eat fish.

Egg controversy

Shivraj Singh Chouhan drew flak across the country, especially social media, after he shot down a proposal to include eggs in the meals of anganwadi students in three tribal-dominated districts.

Facing criticism on the issue, on June 12, Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced at a public rally at Khurai in Sagar district that all children in anganwadis as well as schools would get milk thrice a week. Chouhan’s stand is not new.

In September 2010, Chouhan had vetoed a proposal presented by then women and child development minister to use egg for eradicating malnutrition.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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