Bhubaneswar: In a shocking incident, a student of Radhakantapur Dibakar Mishra Government Primary School in Bhadrak district’s Basudevpur block reportedly discovered a leech in his meal which was served under the mid-day meal programme.
The disturbing find has raised serious concerns about food safety and quality control in the school’s mid-day meal programme, sparking outrage among parents and authorities alike.
According to reports, a student was eating her meal when a large a leech emerged from her plate. The student immediately informed his in-charge headmaster Parshuram Sahu, who then notified the school management committee president and local councilor about the incident. Sahu also drew the attention of the block education officer in this regard.
One Damodar Jew organization has been providing mid-day meals to the school. There have been complaints that the organization is serving stale and substandard food and preparing meals in unhygienic conditions. Despite repeated complaints, no action has been taken, according to parents.
It is pertinent to mention that the school has a total of 115 students from Class I to Class VIII.
When asked, Block Education Officer Amiya Mallick said, “A leech was found in a student’s meal. Last year, a worm was also found in the mid-day meal. Due to this, the organisation was banned from providing food to school. Later, after high-level discussions, they started providing good food. The incident will be investigated.”
