The quality and management of midday meals in Madhya Pradesh’s government schools are once again under scrutiny after a video of children being served food on scrap paper in Maihar district on Republic Day surfaced.
The latest incident came less than three months after a similar incident in Sheopur in November last year, in which children of a government primary school were served poori and curry on scrap paper kept on the ground. The incident made nationwide news and triggered backlash against the State government.
In Maihar, the students of a government middle school, run on the premises of a high school in Bhatgawan village, were served halwa-poori on scrap paper and torn pages from books and notebooks. A viral video from the school showed children sitting on jute mats with food on the paper placed on the ground in front of them.
The video has once again drawn severe criticism against the State authorities with the Opposition Congress criticising the ruling BJP and accusing it of insensitivity towards children.
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