Kolkata: Only an offer came, nothing further, the state govt told the Calcutta High Court in a PIL, challenging the proposal to entrust Iskcon with preparing and supplying cooked meals under PM-POSHAN to KMC schools.Though it called the PIL “premature”, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee directed the state to file an affidavit, detailing the current status of the “proposal”.The HC asked Advocate General (AG) Surajit Nath Mitra about the status of the proposal and if any notification was issued. Citing the scheme’s guidelines, Mitra told the court that a centralised kitchen could be set up in urban areas, considering the shortage of space at schools. He also said “only one offer was received and no further action was taken”. “For urban areas, where there are space constraints for setting up kitchens in individual schools, a centralised kitchen could be set up for a cluster of schools. Cooked hot meals may be transported under hygienic conditions by a reliable transport system. The operation of this centralised kitchen may be given to reputable NGOs under the PPP model. Nothing has been done. Only an offer has come, nothing further,” the AG told the Calcutta HC.The PIL filed by advocate Sirsanya Bandhopadhyay asserted that the proposed implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme would affect the livelihood of thousands of self-help groups (SHGs), so far tasked with providing midday meals at schools.The ACJ sought a notification from senior advocate Kalyan Bandhopadhyay, representing the petition. “Has any notification been issued? What you are showing is the chief minister’s statement. Has any follow-up step been taken?” the ACJ said. Bandhopadhyay submitted before the court that CM Suvendu Adhikari stated in the assembly that midday meals, under PM-POSHAN, would be provided to 1,800 govt-run and sponsored schools by Iskcon. On the court’s query, he said there was no notification from the state yet, but the CM made a statement on the floor of the House. “A statement by the minister on the floor of the Assembly is binding on the govt,” Bandhopadhyay submitted.But the ACJ replied, “Pertaining to certain issues, but this cannot be done without a notification.”
