Zee Media Bureau
Patna: After two mid-day meal incidents, the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar has gone into damage-control mode.
In the wake of mounting criticism over the handling of the incident, the Bihar government has released an advertisement in newspapers, directing principal and cook in every school to first eat the food themselves before it is served to students.
“Even when an education department supervisor visits the school during surprise checks, he/she should taste the midday meals,” the ad added.
It further instructed schools not to store insecticides alongside food ingredients and cattle feed to prevent contamination of the food given to school children.
With 12 more children dying, the number killed by contaminated mid-day meal served in a school in Bihar rose on Wednesday to 23 including a cook, authorities said.
The unprecedented deaths at a village in Saran have also sparked off street protests in Bihar.
Also, 50 children fell ill shortly after they were served the mid-day meals at a primary school in Madhubani district on Wednesday.
The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Bihar government as well as the state police over the death of 23 school children who consumed contaminated mid-day meal.
