Kerala High Court says dropping meat from Lakshadweep mid-day meal menu is against physical health of children

The court ordered that the serving of food, including meat, chicken, fish and egg, and other items to the school-going children of Lakshadweep be continued until further orders

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has observed that prima facie switching over to a different menu, with the exclusion of chicken and meat from the mid-day meal scheme of schools in Lakshadweep, would run contrary to the National Programme of Mid Day Meal in schools. This is especially so when it is constituted with the avowed objective of ensuring the physical and mental health of the children. The Bench, led by Chief Justice M. Manikumar, made the observations in its order staying the decisions of the Lakshadweep administration to close down dairy farms and remove meat from the menu of the mid-day meal scheme.