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25 students at Delhi school fall ill after consuming mid-day meal

More than 25 students have fallen ill after consuming the mid-day meal at a government school in Delhi's Narela.

"We have received information that about 26 students were taken ill after consuming mid-day meal. They have been taken to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital," a senior police official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.


The children complained about abdominal pain after consuming the food, hospital authorities said, adding that the condition of all the students are stable and they are likely to be discharged soon.

What is mid-day meal scheme?

Mid-day meal scheme is a programme designed by the government to improve nutritional status of school-going children in the nation.  The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary classes.

The government has introduced elaborate monitoring mechanism at various levels to ensure quality food in mid-day meal scheme following reports of poor quality of food being served to students.

According to a 2015 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the quality of food served in schools under the mid-day meal scheme continues to remain poor across the country.
"Cases of cooking of poor quality meals in unhygienic conditions, inadequate and poor quality of infrastructure in terms of kitchen sheds and utensils were rampant across all states exposing children to health hazards," the report said.

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