Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament, Abhishek Banerjee, has expressed strong discontent over the Union Budget 2025, stating that it offers no relief or benefit to the common man.
Banerjee accused the government of tailoring the budget with an eye on the upcoming elections in Bihar, emphasizing that the budget seemed to cater largely to the state of Bihar, while other regions like Bengal were neglected.
"Everything has been given to Bihar. When the budget was presented in July 2024, it was all focused on Andhra Pradesh and Bihar because there were elections in those states. For the last 10 years, BJP has been in power, but Bengal has received nothing. It is both sad and unfortunate," Banerjee said.
He further criticized the way the budget was presented, claiming there was a lot of confusion and a lack of clarity.
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Bengaluru: Karnataka government’s initiative to provide eggs six days a week as an additional nutrient in the mid-day meal scheme has led to a significant increase in school attendance, according to the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL).
Officials stated that when eggs were previously provided twice a week, student attendance was at 93.5 percent, as reported by The Hindu. However, since the introduction of eggs six days a week, attendance has risen to an impressive 98.97 percent. Furthermore, the number of children eating eggs has increased by about four times compared to the number of students eating bananas — the other additional nutrient being provided in schools.
To combat malnutrition among school children, eggs, bananas, and groundnut chikkis have been distributed as supplementary nutrients along with mid-day meals in government and aided schools for students from Classes 1 to 10. With support from the Azim Premji Foundation for Development (APF), the state started providing eggs six days a week in September 2024. Students who do not consume eggs have been given bananas and chikkis. However, the government recently stopped distributing chikkis due to concerns about their quality.
“It has been observed that children’s attendance in schools has increased as eggs and bananas are being provided six days a week. This is a good development, as not only will malnutrition in children be reduced, but they will also develop academically,” K.V. Trilok Chandra, Commissioner, DPI, was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
In terms of regional consumption, Kolar Educational District recorded the highest percentage of students consuming eggs at 84.16 percent, followed by Kodagu (83.89 percent), Hassan (81.26 percent), and Chikkamagaluru (79.49 percent), added the report.
On the other hand, Chikkodi Educational District had the lowest number of children consuming eggs, at 30.97 percent, followed by Belagavi (41.78 percent) and Bengaluru North (41.19 percent).