Mid-Day Meal Scandal Rocks Tribal School in Buldhana
A deeply disturbing incident has emerged from the tribal region of Bawanbir in Sangrampur taluka, Buldhana district, where primary school students were served their PM Poshan Shakti mid-day meal on scrap paper instead of the mandated steel plates. This shocking violation of food safety norms has triggered widespread outrage among parents and raised serious questions about administrative negligence in the government school system.
Complete Disregard for Safety Norms
According to established reports, the government has issued a comprehensive rulebook for serving nutritious food to children under the PM Poshan scheme. Schools are specifically provided with steel plates meant for serving meals to ensure hygiene and proper nutrition delivery. However, in this zilla parishad school, children were appallingly given khichdi on discarded paper sheets, representing a blatant violation of all safety protocols.
Even more alarming is the fact that stray dogs were seen roaming freely around the children while they were eating their meals. This situation raises grave concerns about hygiene, food contamination, and the overall safety of the young students who depend on these meals for their nutritional needs.
Eroding Trust in Government Education
Officials and local residents have pointed out that ZP school enrolment is already falling drastically in the region, and such incidents further erode trust in the government school system. Parents from the tribal community are expressing their anger, directly accusing school staff and the headmaster of playing with the lives of their children through such negligent practices.
When contacted for clarification, district education officer Vikas Patil revealed that he had issued strict instructions to all schools four months ago to ensure proper compliance with mid-day meal norms. However, he failed to clarify why preventive action wasn't taken earlier or how such a severe violation continued unchecked despite these instructions.
Accountability Demanded
This incident has raised a crucial question that demands immediate attention: If such negligence leads to illness or any untoward incident, who will be held responsible? The episode has resulted in widespread anger among parents, who are now demanding strict action against those responsible for this lapse.
The ball is now firmly in the court of the school education department and the education minister, as the community awaits proper accountability for this shocking compromise of children's safety and health. The incident highlights the urgent need for better monitoring and implementation of government schemes meant to support vulnerable communities.
