Students given detergent instead of salt in Bihar mid-day meal, shifted to hospital | Gravitas
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Students given detergent instead of salt in Bihar mid-day meal, shifted to hospital | Gravitas")
Students were initially provided first aid, and were subsequently admitted to a nearby hospital. Photograph: (Screengrab from video on X)
The mid-day meal scheme is of vital significance in Bihar, where 35.6% of children under the age of five are stunted, as per the latest national family health survey. The proportion of stunted children in this age group is the highest for any state in India.
In India, the mid-day meal scheme has been one of the country’s landmark welfare schemes, providing a hot cooked meal to children in government and government-aided schools.
However, the menace of food adulteration has crept in here as well.
In a shocking incident from Bihar's Nalanda district, multiple girl students studying at the Parasi school fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal.
And guess what did they consume? Detergent! But what led to this incident?
It is learnt that the mid-day meal was prepared at a different location and brought to the school.
Students asked for salt to be added as a vegetable dish apparently lacked it.
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During the process, detergent powder was mistakenly served instead of salt.
Shortly thereafter, many students began complaining of stomach pain and vomiting.
While students were initially provided first aid, they were subsequently admitted to a nearby hospital by the school staff and parents.
The incident caused panic among the students' families and chaotic scenes were witnessed at the hospital.
Following this incident, several doctors, including Nalanda Civil Surgeon Dr. Jai Prakash Singh, srrived at the hospital to assess the condition of the children. Bihar Rural Development Minister, Shravan Kumar, also met the affected students. He promised that a detailed inquiry will be conducted to ascertain how the alleged lapse occurred in the preparation and serving of the mid-day meal.
Apart from encouraging attendance, retention and enrollment in schools, the mid-day meal scheme has another key goal - addressing the issue of malnutrition among children.
Thus, this scheme is of vital significance in Bihar, where 35.6% of children under age of five are stunted, as per the latest national family health survey. The proportion of stunted children in this age group is the highest for any state in India.
Incidentally, this is not the first such incident in Bihar.
In May, over 150 children fell ill after consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal at a school in Saharsa district.
This raises a key question. Why have we not been able to ensure hygienic food for even our children?
It is imperative that all governments take effective steps to maintain the quality of the mid-day meal.