Now Reading: 35 Bihar students hospitalised after detergent mistaken for salt in mid-day meal
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35 Bihar students hospitalised after detergent mistaken for salt in mid-day meal
35 Bihar students hospitalised after detergent mistaken for salt in mid-day meal
At least 35 students of a government school in Bihar's Nalanda district were hospitalised on Wednesday after consuming a mid-day meal in which detergent was allegedly added instead of salt. The incident occurred at Middle School in Parasi, under the Noorsarai police station area. The affected children were treated at Bihar Sharif Sadar Hospital, with some also admitted to facilities in Chandi and Andarsarai.
Civil surgeon Dr Jayaprakash Singh said students complained of stomach pain and vomiting after eating the soybean rice meal. Samples of the food have been collected for testing, though the exact cause is yet to be confirmed. Locals said containers of salt and detergent were kept together in the kitchen, leading the cook to mistakenly use detergent.
Bihar rural development minister Shravan Kumar visited the hospital and promised a detailed inquiry. The headmaster has been suspended, three cooks removed, and a show-cause notice issued to the NGO Ekta Shakti Foundation, which supplied the meal from a centralised kitchen in Ramghat. All students are reported out of danger.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Mid-day meal poisonings have recurred across Bihar despite a 2013 Supreme Court directive mandating strict hygiene protocols. The state runs one of India's largest school feeding programmes, covering over 1.5 crore children. This incident at a school relying on an NGO-run centralised kitchen raises questions about supervision at the point of cooking. The key gap here is the lack of segregation of kitchen supplies, a basic safety rule. Watch for the food inspector's report and whether the state acts on the promised inquiry within the usual 15-day deadline.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
