Patna, July 31 (IANS) At least 110 children were taken ill after eating mid-day meal in Bihar’s Arwal and Jamui districts Wednesday in the second tragedy related to free school food in the state this month, officials said.
On July 16, 23 children died after eating contaminated mid-day meal in Saran district.
In Arwal district 65 children were taken ill and in Jamui district 45 children fell sick in Kalyuga village.
The incident in Arwal district took place in government primary school in Chandi village and out of the 65 children who fell ill 10 fainted for a few minutes, officials said.
“All the affected children, including two critically ill, were admitted to government hospital in Kurtha and were out of danger,” a district official said.
Children were served ‘khichri and chokha’ in the mid-day meal. “Soon after they ate the food, some children complained of vomiting and pain in stomach,” an official said.
On hearing the news, concerned parents converged at the hospital to inquire about the health of their children, he said.
In Jamui, 45 children from government middle school in Kalyuga village were taken ill. “All of them were admitted to government hospital in Jhajha and their condition is stated to be stable,” said district official.
The mid-day meal scheme is running in 72,000 schools across the state, and 16 million students avail hot, freshly cooked meals under the scheme.
In a similar tragedy, 23 children died after eating contaminated mid-day meal in Saran district. A forensic report confirmed the presence of toxic insecticide traces in the cooking oil used for making food at the school.
