LEFT WITH AN EMPTY PLATE

WEST BENGAL'S ALREADY POOR CHILD NUTRITION RECORD IS MADE WORSE BY ALLEGATIONS OF DIVERSION OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOR THE PM-POSHAN SCHEME

- Romita Datta

Over the past several years, the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has been buffeted by a series of corruption allegations that have tarnished its reputation: from the teachers’ recruitment scandal to the cow smuggling scam, from the coal imbroglio to cases of extortion by its leaders. Now, a slew of new charges have come up against the ruling party—that of siphoning off funds and rations from the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman or PM-Poshan scheme (earlier called the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) for children towards other party and governance needs. Into the mix are dishonest businessmen, a pliant administration and a dubious alliance between private and government schools. The irregularities, if proved, could be a new low for the state government.

The matter came to light when the West Bengal chapter of the ‘Right to Food’ campaign—an independent network of organisations working towards ensuring food security—conducted extensive research based on data provided by the state, unearthing a shortfall in the quantity of mid-day meal rations supplied during the pandemic lockdown between April 2020 and June 2022. The deprivation faced by 11.5 million children (the total number of primary and upper primary school-going children in the state) was quantified at 45,593 tonnes of rice. In terms of proteins—mainly provided through vegetables and lentils—each child was deprived of roughly 7 kilos, says the report. The monetary value of the leakage is pegged to be Rs 1,572 crore, which the children were entitled to as part of the scheme.