Now Reading: Kota mid-day meal sickens 27 children, probe ordered
-
01
Kota mid-day meal sickens 27 children, probe ordered
Twenty-seven children fell ill after eating a pumpkin-based mid-day meal at a government school in Puniya Devriya, Kota, on Monday, with 14 admitted to New Medical College Hospital. Students reported vomiting, diarrhoea,…
Twenty-seven children fell ill after eating a pumpkin-based mid-day meal at a government school in Puniya Devriya, Kota, on Monday, with 14 admitted to New Medical College Hospital. Students reported vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and dizziness about two hours after eating. Four to five children remain hospitalised, others are stable.
School incharges said 110 children were present at the school and all nine schools in the area received food from the same Annapurna kitchen in Kailanagar. Officials added no other school reported illness. District education officer Roop Singh Meena said it would be premature to link the illness to the food until medical reports arrive.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla directed a factual and impartial investigation. He asked officials to collect samples of food, water and other possible causes, and ordered strict action if negligence emerges. Education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar visited the hospital and met the affected children.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The mid-day meal scheme, overseen by the Union ministry of education and state education departments, feeds roughly 12 crore children daily across India. Food poisoning outbreaks in schools have recurred for years, with mass incidents in 2022 in Bihar and 2023 in Madhya Pradesh leading to hospitalisations. The 2013 Supreme Court judgment in PUCL vs Union of India mandated quality and hygiene standards under the National Food Security Act. Here, officials cite medical tests as the necessary next step before confirming the cause. The minister's visit and the Lok Sabha Speaker's directive signal heightened political attention ahead of the Rajasthan assembly session. What remains concrete is whether the investigation will trace contamination to the common kitchen serving nine schools, a single school's handling, or a water source. The medical report and sample tests, expected within days, will decide responsibility.
Source: aajtak.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
