After the mid-day meal tragedy in Bihar in which 23 children died because of food poisoning and 155 children taking ill in Tamil Nadu, teachers in Krishna district are tasting the food before serving it to the students.
The strength of Kummarikuntla Elementary School in A. Konduru mandal is 62. Out of them, 50 students consume food served under mid-day meal scheme on the school premises every day.
“We are taking every care in preparing food for children,” school headmistress Ch. Parvathi told The Hindu . Women Self-Help Groups, which are the implementing agencies of the scheme, had been instructed to take all measures to maintain quality and keep the surroundings clean, said headmasters, who were tasting the food in schools before serving it to the children.
“The headmasters have been instructed to monitor the scheme in their respective schools. In case of adulteration or serving stale food or using poor quality material, the headmasters will be held responsible,” DEO D. Devanand Reddy warned.
In Rajapeta Elementary School in Mylavaram mandal, more than 100 students queued up for the mid-day meal. Ten anganwadi children and an equal number of mentally challenged students also take food in the school, said headmistress V. Supri Kumari.
In all, 2.40 lakh students are taking food every day in 3,300 government schools in the district. The government is spending Rs.35 crore per annum for the scheme, said Mr. Devanand Reddy. School Education Commissioner G. Vani Mohan reviewed implementation of the scheme.
