A group of students have been hospitalised after allegedly being served reheated leftovers for lunch in India.
Pupils of Mandal Parishad Primary School in Venkatapur village in Sangareddy district reportedly fell ill last week (29 January), reportedly exhibiting symptoms consistent with suspected food poisoning, including vomiting and nausea.
Telangana Today, an English-language Indian newspaper, claimed that the leftovers, consumed by at least 42 children, were from a function which took place a day earlier.
The reportedly reheated midday meal of sambar (dal) and rice was fed to the kids as part of a Khammam District government school lunch program, The Print stated.
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The scheme provides free lunches to children enrolled in government schools, and is implemented to ‘improve nutritional levels, increase enrolment and reduce dropout rates’, as per The Independent.
Police told the publication that the kids were eventually taken to Narayankhed Government Hospital for food poisoning treatment.
Officials reported that ‘around 22 students were hospitalised’ in total.
“They experienced symptoms like stomach pain and were immediately shifted to the hospital for treatment. All are stable.”
The statement added that all the affected children had since been discharged, and that zero complaints from parents had been received as a probe into the cause of the illness continued.
The Independent reported that a staff member who was allegedly involved in making the lunch had been removed from their position.
The District Educational Officer has issued a show-cause notice to the in-charge headmaster.
This is a ‘formal legal or administrative ask, allowing an individual to explain or justify their actions before a decision or penalty is taken against them’, according to People.
The notice intends to investigate why the principal allegedly failed to supervise the mid-day meal preparation.
Another local outlet has claimed that the Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, directing the Sangareddy District Collector to submit a detailed report by 24 February.
This is allegedly the second case of potential food contamination that has rocked the Indian government’s mid-meal scheme in a matter of days.
The project, which supplies cooked meals to 120 million children, first made headlines when students of a Government Primary School at Venkatapuram in Narayankhed mandal in Sangareddy district allegedly suffered food poisoning symptoms, Telangana Today wrote.
In 2022, India reported as many as 979 food poisoning cases with schools, as per data from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.
Last year, the TGHRC launched an inquiry into reports that more than 100 children had taken ill after eating food reportedly contaminated with a dead snake.
“NHRC India takes suo motu cognisance of the media report about more than 100 children falling ill after consuming midday meal in Mokama area of Patna, Bihar,” the commission stated.
“The commission has observed that the contents, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students.
Ella Scott