Bihar: 125 children fall ill after consuming food at school hostel

The food of quality supplied in government schools has come under the radar, especially after lizard was found in mid-day meal of children at two government schools in Delhi. In another such instance, as many as 125 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Barahiya in Lakhisarai district, around 135 km east of state capital Patna, Bihar were found ill on Friday.

After having dinner at the hostel on the school premises, the children started vomiting and complained of nausea in the wee hours of Friday.

While 80 students were taken to the Barahiya Referral Hospital, 45 were shifted to Lakhisarai Sadar Hospital.

Lakhisarai District Magistrate (DM) Sobhendra Kumar Choudhary paid a visit to the school premises and also ordered the school to be closed for three days.

Meanwhile, the storeroom and kitchen of the school were also sealed, and an FSL team collected samples of rice, pulses, edible oil etc. from there.

Also read: PM Modi’s Twitter followers down by 3 lakhs in just 24 hours

The parents of the ill children have alleged that poor quality food was being served at the school, but the DM said, “The cause of the illness will be known after the enquiry that is in progress.”

“Lack of supervision by wardens and bickering among the staff of the hostel are the reasons behind the incident. The students have become victims of poor hygiene during preparations of the food,” Hindustan Times quoted parents as saying.

The DM also visited the hospital and instructed the hospital staff to provide better services to the children.

This reflects the poor attention paid by the state government on education and meals provided in schools.

Credit: Hindustan Times