A video from Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur where around 100 students of a government school students from class I to VIII are seen Roti and Salt on the name of mid-day meal. This is a central government program to provide proper nutritious lunch to the poor families children who study in the government school.
In the video which went online, it can be seen that the childrens are sitting on the floor and are served a pinch of salt with roti in their plate. Mid-day meal authority, Uttar Pradesh on their website have posted a nutritious menu while in the plates it is salt and roti.
Children in a primary government school in Mirzapur district are being served salt and roti (Indian flatbread) for their mid-day meals. District magistrate Anurag Patel said a probe had been ordered and that a teacher and the supervisor at the gram panchayat have been suspended. pic.twitter.com/WjAzLumIo8
— Firstpost (@firstpost) August 23, 2019
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took Twitter to slam the Uttar Pradesh government.
#Mirzapur के एक स्कूल में बच्चों को मिड-डे-मील में नमक रोटी दी जा रही है।
ये उत्तर प्रदेश भाजपा सरकार की व्यवस्था का असल हाल है।
जहाँ सरकारी सुविधाओं की दिन-ब-दिन दुर्गति की जा रही है। बच्चों के साथ हुआ ये व्यवहार बेहद निंदनीय है। pic.twitter.com/FMD5cYE5Jn— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 23, 2019
A parent while talking to a local journalist told:
“Things are bad here. Sometimes, they feed the children salt and roti. Sometimes salt and rice. When the milk comes here on a rare occasion, most of it is never distributed. Bananas are never distributed. It has been like this for over a year now.”
Anurag Patel a government official told NDTV, that it is the mistake of supervisor of the gram panchayat and the in charge of the school. Both of them are suspended.
On the website the mid-day menu was listed something else but, what’s on the plate is completely different.
The UP government says as of December 2018 mid-day meals are provided in over 1.5 lakh primary and middle schools across the state. Over 1 crore children are supposed to benefit from the scheme.
The video surfaced online says a completely different story.
