Mid-day meal tragedies: NHRC seeks report from Bihar govt

New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday issued sought action taken report from Bihar government on the issues of 50 children falling ill after consuming midday meal in Madhubani and 26 other victims battling for life in a Patna hospital due to lack of proper facilities.

The Commission has issued notices to Bihar Chief Secretary and DGP, and asked them to submit the reports within four weeks, an NHRC statement said here. NHRC has specifically sought to know if any legal action has been taken in the matters and preventive measures taken by the state government to avoid such incidents in future, it said. It has also asked for details of compensation, if any, proposed to be granted to the victims or the next of kin of the deceased. The rights panel issued the notices after taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that 50 students fell ill in Madhubani after consuming midday meal and 26 children, victims of the Chapra mid-day meal tragedy in Saran district, were battling for life at Patna Medical College and Hospital due to lack of proper facilities, the statement said. The Commission on July 17 had already issued notices to the Bihar Principal Secretary (Education) and Saran SP on the Chapra midday meal tragedy, the reports of which are still awaited. PTI