Bengal’s mid-day meal coverage outperforms major states: Edu Min
Kolkata: State Education minister Bratya Basu on Friday dismissed allegations surrounding the state’s mid-day meal performance, asserting that Bengal has achieved significantly better coverage compared to several major states. Responding to recent criticism following the latest minutes of the Programme Approval Board (PAB) meeting under the PM-POSHAN scheme, held on April 17, Basu said: “As per Management Information System (MIS) entries, Bengal recorded an average mid-day meal coverage of 69 per cent in 2024-25, while Bihar registered 42 per cent, Rajasthan 52 per cent and Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh 64 per cent each.” According to the PAB minutes, 77,91,946 of the 1,13,44,146 enrolled students in Bengal availed of mid-day meals in the 2024-25 financial year, reflecting a 69 per cent coverage rate. However, a decline of 4.01 lakh in student enrolment and a dip of 8.04 lakh in meal coverage from the 2023-24 figures were flagged. In 2023-24, an average of 85,96,822 students had availed the scheme.
The PAB also highlighted lower coverage than the state average in seven districts at the primary level and 19 at the upper primary level. Notably, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts recorded that nearly 40 per cent of primary students did not avail of meals. At the upper primary level, coverage was lowest in Cooch Behar (46 per cent), Jalpaiguri (48 per cent) and Malda (49 per cent). State authorities have been asked to review and submit a report on this reduction by June 30. Facing opposition allegations of irregularities in the scheme, Basu termed the criticism “politically motivated” and cited further data to support the government’s performance. He pointed out that Bengal recorded 91 per cent coverage based on PAB-approved student figures in 2024-25, up from 85 per cent in 2023-24. In 2024–25, the PAB had approved a budget for 85,93,783 students, of which 91 per cent availed of meals. In 2023–24, the approval covered 1,01,35,153 students, with an 85 per cent coverage rate. “Therefore, the alarm being raised around the mid-day meal scheme in Bengal is completely unfounded,” said Basu. Providing a category-wise breakdown, Basu said Bal Vatika (pre-primary) reported 78 per cent coverage, primary schools 74 per cent and upper primary schools 58 per cent, resulting in the 69 per cent state average. He also noted that, based on the Centre’s own data, there were no dropouts in Bengal at the primary or upper primary levels during this period. Moreover, 88 per cent of students in the state are enrolled in government or government-aided schools. “It is quite clear from the above statistics that such questions are being raised with the intent to politically destabilise Bengal,” Basu added.
Basu further criticised discrepancies in the information being circulated, stating: “Information only gains authenticity when it is approved by the source from which it has been collected. In this case, there appear to be some inconsistencies in the information.” It should also be noted that from 2022-23 to 2023-24, there was a dip of over 15.38 lakh students in mid-day meal coverage, while the decline between 2023-24 and 2024-25 stood at 8.04 lakh, suggesting that the gap is narrowing.
