Nagpur: Around 30 students fell ill on Friday after consuming mid-day meal at Hudkeshwar based Aashatai Mule School. According to sources, the students had ‘Khichdi’- mid-day meal following which they had complained of abdominal pain. All were rushed to Government Medical Hospital and College (GMCH).
School director Mahendra Mude blamed the women’s self-help group that provides mid-day meal to students. “The ZP education department has allotted mid-day meal contract of our school to one Shagun Women’s Self-Help Group. We have got complaints about the quality of food and requested authorities to change this supplier,” he said.
As soon as parents came to know about the incident, they rushed to GMCH. Some of them complained that mid-day meals in school are always of substandard quality. They also alleged that school administration was responsible for the supply of substandard food. Activists of RTE Action Committee also reached the hospital and blamed the school administration for the incident.
“The teacher who looks after the food committee of school must taste and check quality of food before serving it to the students. We demand strict action against the food committee members and the self-help group that served such food to students,” said Mohd Shahid Sharif, chairman of RTE Action Committee.
It is likely to note that irregularities regarding the contaminated food have been a common sight at Government Schools in the Second Capital of the State.
Speaking to Nagpur Today, a top official of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed that, the FDA officials have visited spot and collected the objectionable ‘Khichdi’ samples. Further action will be planned after the lab test of the confiscated samples.
