West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday (August 1, 2026) inaugurated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ (ISKCON) mega kitchen in Kolkata, where mid-day meals will be prepared for 44,000 students of 500 state-run and aided schools in the city.

Mr. Adhikari took part in a 'yajna' before formally opening the facility in Taratala in the south-western part of the city.

"Initially, ISKCON will serve mid-day meals to 44,000 students in 500 Kolkata schools. Within the next three months, mid-day meals will reach 2.5 lakh students. The allocation has been increased to ₹10 per meal per student," he said.

The chief minister said the state government would separately provide boiled eggs to students twice a week through self-help groups (SHGs), in addition to the meals prepared by ISKCON.

"Balanced nutrition will help in children's overall development," he said, thanking ISKCON for the initiative.

Adhikari said no midday meal cooks, who had been preparing the food so far, would be retrenched, and his government has already enhanced their remuneration from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 per month.

After the inauguration, the CM visited the kitchen and participated in the preparation of mid-day meals.

He also flagged off electric vehicles that will transport the meals to schools.

Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agrawal and School Education Minister Dipak Barman were present at the event. Around 40 students from five schools also attended the inaugural programme.

The initiative aims to streamline the preparation and distribution of food under the state's mid-day meal scheme, through ISKCON, officials said.

Published - August 01, 2026 04:38 pm IST