Date:21/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/21/stories/2007012110280400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Cabinet leaves it to Horatti

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The State Government apparently yielding to the pressure from religious heads has decided not to include egg as part of the midday meal to schoolchildren for the time being.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said schoolchildren would be provided fruits or milk instead of eggs as supplementary food under the mid-day meal scheme. A Cabinet meeting held on Saturday discussed the issue and asked Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj S. Horatti to take a final decision in a week.

Minister for Public Works and Energy H.D. Revanna on Friday voiced his opposition to the decision on providing eggs to schoolchildren. The former Governor of Jharkhand and Bihar Justice M. Rama Jois and Dharmasthala Dharmadikari Veerendra Heggade opposed the decision.

Mr. Horatti, who had been strongly supporting the decision, told presspersons that there was no consensus on the issue among the ministers and political leaders. To justify his support to the decision, he quoted a survey conducted by the Education Department and said an overwhelming percentage of children had favoured egg. Mr. Horatti said the Education Department, which had been providing eggs in some districts, had been instructed to temporarily to withdraw supply. He would hold one more round of meeting with officials of the department and take a final decision before January 26, the Minister said.