KOLKATA, July 9, 2013: The delicious prasada that Iskcon offers to devotees daily, will soon be served as midday meals in schools run by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

The process started a year back when Shashi Panja, then MMiC-education, conducted a survey of KMC schools and found the mid-day meal far short of Supreme Court specifictions. The food, cooked either by the respective schools or some NGO, was of inferior quality. Just then, Iskcon had applied to the KMC with a plan to feed poor children nutritious meals. On an experimental basis, Iskcon was asked to cook in a centralized kitchen and deliver it to schools.

"We were happy to see that there was a different menu every day and simple protein-rich food like soya beans, rajma were being cooked in an innovative way along with seasonal vegetables for a wholesome meal. A kitchen was set up for Iskcon at Bagbazar from where it supplied food to schools earmarked for the project," Panja said. Iskcon then offered to supply to more schools.

"In other states, we feed 2 lakh to 3 lakh children. Here we have been given the responsibility of 5,000 schoolchildren. We are happy that we are able to give them a sumptuous variety through the week. However, there's a long way to go as KMC has 271 schools and 26,000 kids," said Iskcon spokesperson Radharaman Das. KMC is setting up another kitchen near Garden Reach, likely to be given to Iskcon. "We are looking at schools that are yet to be covered," said present MMiC-education Mitali Banerjee. The matter is pending with the midday meal directorate of the department. "Several schools are covered already. However, there are still some areas where we need help and Iskcon being clearly the leader in this field can be considered," said N Burman, director of midday meals.

Source: The Times of  India, DT. July 9, 2013.