887 students fell ill consuming mid-day meals in last 3yrs
What's the story
The HRD Ministry had received 30 complaints from across the country regarding the poor quality of mid-day meals during past three years and 887 students were reported ill after having those meals during the period, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. The information was shared by Union Minister of State for HRD, Upendra Kushwaha, in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha.
Guidelines issued
Government has now come up with guidelines on the issue
"A total number of 30 complaints from 15 states and union territories including Delhi regarding the poor quality of serving of mid-day meal have been reported during the last three years," the Union Minister said. He added that to address the issue, the government has issued guidelines on quality, safety and hygiene in school kitchens to all states and union territories.
Quote
Schools to procure Agmark quality food for mid-day meals
"These guidelines provide for instructions to schools to procure Agmark quality and branded items for preparation of mid-day meals, tasting of meals by 2-3 adult members of school management committee before serving to children," Kushwaha said.
Statistics
Jharkhand,Maharashtra,UP top the list with maximum children falling ill
The HRD Minister further said the government has also adopted an elaborate monitoring mechanism at central, state and district levels to ensure quality food is served to children under the scheme. According to statistics, maximum number of children (259) were reported to be ill after consuming mid-day meals in Jharkhand, followed by Maharashtra (201) and Uttar Pradesh (154).