Madhya Pradesh: 30 kids fall ill after taking midday meal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Incharge teacher Hari Singh Taylor has been suspended after 30 children fell ill after consuming midday meal at Government Primary School in Bhaisoda in Berasia development block in Bhopal district. The Self Help Group that cooked midday meal has been blacklisted.

Four days back, children fell ill after consuming midday meal. They were hospitalised. Two of them were serious and one of them was referred to LBS hospital.

District Education Officer Nitin Saxena told Free Press that Hari Singh said that he had applied for leave. “When I went to the school and checked it, I did not find leave application. In such a situation, action was taken against Hari Singh because of dereliction in duty,” he said.

District administration swung into action after three days when police informed SDM Aditya Jain who rushed to inquire into the matter. The food samples were sent for testing. SDM had asked District Education Officer Nitin Saxena to take action.

Nitin Saxena said that Janpad Panchayat was responsible for midday meal. The School Education Department has made kitchen sheds in the school premises for cooking midday meal. For this, the department spent Rs 2 lakh on each shed erected in 2018-19, but food was not cooked in the shed.

During investigation, it was revealed that the kitchen shed was never used for cooking. In fact, food was prepared at an unhygienic place. Officers found a dog roaming in the school where children eat food in Bhaisoda.

The district panchayat team inspected the hospital and the school on Saturday. The team of police and food department also reached the spot. He collected samples of food items from the spot for testing.

School Education Department will form a flying squad to prevent serving of sub standard food to children.