Kolkata school goes green to cook midday meals for students

PTI, KOLKATA, JUNE 7: A West Bengal government-aided school in Kolkata has chosen a green route for cooking midday meals for its students, using induction cookers powered by solar energy. Krishnapur Adarsha Vidyamandir, located in the Dumdum Park area in the north-eastern part of the city, has embarked on a drive in which the midday meal is being cooked for 250 students by induction cookers, which are run by electricity generated by rooftop solar panels, Headmaster Susanta Kumar Khan said on Friday.

The school is one of around 3,500 state-aided educational institutes where solar panels have been installed as part of the 'e-green cooking' initiative of the state school education department in collaboration with the non-conventional energy department. "We have not yet gone full mode as some of the items are still being cooked on ovens fueled by LPG," Khan added.

During the extreme heat conditions, non-spicy items like soyabean, dal mixed with green mango, and rice are being cooked using induction cooktops, he said. One of the group D staff, tasked with cooking, said the chances of fire breaking out have been minimized in the process, and "we are not exposed to heat and flames."

"We have estimated 30 percent less expenses in daily cooking as we have partially switched to the solar-powered induction mode in the last one month," Khan said. Gradually, the entire midday meal cooking exercise will be done by solar-powered cooktops, he said. "We are bringing a bigger induction cooker for preparing meals for students," the headmaster said.

A school education department official said the school is the only one in Kolkata and its outskirts where the pilot project for the 'e-green cooking' midday meal scheme has begun. The same will be implemented in other schools where solar panels have been installed in the coming days, he added.