Made children sit down in the cold, served halwa-puri on waste paper; open pole of the system

Maher: There was a stir on social media after pictures and videos of ‘special’ mid-day meal organized on the occasion of Republic Day at Bhatgawan Government High School in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, surfaced. Students were seen eating food on torn papers on the floor, which drew anger from netizens and Congress also criticized the state government.

A video of a few seconds has gone viral on social media, in which students can be seen eating food on paper on the floor. It has also been revealed that the students were given food by tearing pages from old notebooks. According to local sources, the students were fed food in the open in the extreme cold. There were torn notebook pages on the floor. Puri and semolina pudding were served on those pages written with pen ink. The students started eating in the same manner.

In this entire incident, once again questions are being raised on the management of the mid-day meal scheme, security and above all, indecent behavior towards the students of government schools. Many people have also expressed anger over why food was served on paper written with pen ink. Many people have expressed concern that the pen’s ink contains toxic chemicals. If it enters the stomach with food then children can become ill.

According to experts, harmful chemicals in pen ink can cause many problems if it enters the stomach. Apart from digestive problems, there are also long-term risks, including the risk of cancer. After the matter came to light, DPC of Satna said that the school principal Sunil Kumar Tripathi was in charge of monitoring. Responsibility also falls on the Block Resource Center Coordinator. The district administration has said that such behavior with students on January 26 cannot be accepted. The matter is being investigated and action has been assured accordingly.

According to experts, this may not just be mismanagement. The question of children’s lives is related to this. Under the Mid Day Meal Scheme, the government provides money to purchase utensils. Despite this, students are questioning why they have to eat on the pages of their notebooks. Local people are also angry. They are alleging that their children were treated inhumanely because they are poor.