Headmaster buries 16 quintals of MDM rice in Mayurbhanj

The headmaster of a school in Samakhunta block in Mayurbhanj district allegedly buried rice meant for mid-day-meal. 

According to the allegation of the local residents and parents, the headmaster of Kochilaghati Primary School has buried something around 16 quintals of MDM rice for reasons best known to him. 

“If a government institution is destroying such an amount of rice, what can be said of others,” said Babula Dehury, a villager. 

According to sources, there is a hostel on the premises of the school which is run by the ST and SC Development department. As many as 167 children are staying in the hostel. To meet their food requirement, the government provides six quintals of rice a month. 

Recently, of those received rice, 15 to 16 quintals were buried, alleged the infuriated villagers. 

When contacted, headmaster in-charge Harihara Mahanta justified his act saying, “During the pandemic time, the hostels remained closed and due to this, some quantity of rice remained unutilised. The government too did not take those rice back. Those rice packets were lying in the store room. It was when the new packets were received, to make space for them, the old and destroyed rice packets were removed and as they were unfit for consumption, they were buried.”