Forty students take ill as can of mid-day meal opens at two U.P. govt schools

Some 40 students of two government junior high schools in village Sarai Gulharia and village Balapar fell sick after consuming a mid-day meal containing insects and worms, on Saturday.

All the sick students were admitted to the Community Health Centre at Chargawan and are said to be out of danger. Learning about the incident, villagers rushed to the schools and staged protests demanding the arrest of the people responsible.

Basic education officer Ramendra Kumar Singh said that outsourcing company Akshay Patra was the supplier of the mid-day meal in 70 primary and junior high schools of Chargawan Block. He said that 40 students of both schools were reported to have fallen sick. Singh said that the coordinator of district mid-day meals was on the spot and an inquiry had been initiated. Once the probe report comes in, stringent action will be taken against the people responsible.

The assistant teacher of the school at Sarai Gulharia, Santosh Mishra, confirmed that the mid-day meal in school was supplied by Akshay Patra.

On Saturday, Rajma-potato vegetable, curd and rice was served to students but soon after consuming the meal, the students began complaining of vomiting and dizziness. Later, he informed the village head and basic education department officers.

Village head of Gulharia, Sumit Sahni, asked health department officials for an ambulance to carry the sick to CHC Chargawan.

In Village Balapar, teacher Sunita Agarhari confirmed that due to complaints of nausea and vomiting by half a dozen students, she informed the block education officer and village head.

Block education officer Vijay Kumar Gupta said that when the teachers and school staff checked the food utensils, they found worms in them. Meanwhile, the manager and other staff of Akshay Patra rushed to the spot and quickly tried to wash the utensils but were caught by the parents.

Abdur Rahman