65 children ill after eating mid-day meal in Bihar

Patna  : Sixty-five children were taken ill after eating mid-day meal in Bihar’s Arwal district 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.

The incident in Arwal district took place in the government primary school in Chandi village, 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.

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.