Agitated parents say they would prefer giving tiffin to their children to contaminated school food
Agitated parents say they would prefer giving tiffin to their children to contaminated school food
It was started of as a path breaking exercise by the government to increase school enrollment and attendance, to address malnutrition and social empowerment through provision of employment to women.
ADVERTISEMENT
And the figure just got higher on Wednesday when 92 students of an east Delhi school were taken ill after consuming contaminated food served for lunch. Angry parents have demanded the scheme to be scrapped, saying they would prefer their children to carry tiffin from home.
"Such incidents have become a routine now. If the government cannot provide good quality food, why should they not stop the scheme altogether? It will at least be better than serving contaminated food," said Ram Charan Gujarati, a resident of Trilokpuri area where the school is situated.
At least 92 students of the Shardasen Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, an all girls school run by the Delhi government, were hospitalized with symptoms of food poisoning on Wednesday.u00a0 While 87 students were directly taken from school to nearby Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital, five were admitted later in the day after falling ill at their homes. By late in the evening around 80 students had been discharged.
The parents protested outside the school as well as the hospital. "Earlier, I used to give my children a tiffin everyday. Now, as they are provided food in the school, they refuse to take it. So, either the government stop befooling us or give some quality food to our children," said Kamlesh, another parent who came to see her children after the commotion.
Political leaders also joined in to cash in on the opportunity. Former Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan who came to see the children demanded strict action against the guilty. "The government should monitor the quality of mid day meals." However, he stopped short of saying that the scheme should be scrapped.
The school authorities did not comment on the matter and entry into the school was restricted. The gates had been closed and police deployed at the school.
Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Anand Mohan said, "We are investigating the matter. The samples of food have been sent for chemical examination." A case has been registered in connection with the incident. The contract to supply the food has been to a society named Rao Raghubir Singh Samiti. Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the license of the contractor has been cancelled while the samples of the food have been sent to Department of Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) for examination.
Three-some
Premlata was inconsolable. She was working at her house when she came to know that her three daughters were taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital. "I don't know what has happened. They were vomiting and complained of stomach ache. I don't know what to do," she told MiD DAY sitting by the side of her daughter's bed.
Cases and statistics
As many as 31 students of a government school in Jal Vihar area of south Delhi were taken ill on April 22, 2009 after eating mid-day meals provided by the school.
A dead rat was found in the dal meant to be served to primary students of the MCD School in Kondli, east Delhi on January 23, 2009.
About 60 students of a municipal primary school in Mundka were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on December 14, 2004 following complaints of dizziness and headache after they consumed rajma-rice provided to them as mid-day meal.
281 students of six municipal primary schools were admitted to various city hospitals following complaints of stomach ache and nausea after they consumed mid-day meal served to them on February 26, 2004.
Was it a lizard?
"We were served yellow dal and rice. Foul smell was emanating from it. I also noticed a lizard in the food. We informed the school principal about it but she said that the problem was not with the meal, instead with the tiffin I was carrying. A number of students had taken it by then," said Komal, a student from the school.
3,000
Number of students across India who have fallen ill in the past three years due to eating mid-day meals since 2006.
"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels 
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
