Risking lives of children! Stale rice passed on to students for midday meal in Odisha

In a troubling turn of events, students at the Dangapal Government Upper Primary School in Pallahara of the Angul district were allegedly served stale rice for their midday meal on Wednesday.

The matter came to light after students reported the nature of the servings at their homes following which their parents and guardians lodged complaints against the school headmaster, accusing him of negligence.

According to reports, the headmaster, Somnath Gadnayak, hosted a feast on the school premises last Sunday with some local villagers and had leftover rice from the event.

Rather than disposing of it, the headmaster allegedly instructed that the stale rice, which had reportedly turned bad overnight, be served to students during the midday meal the following day.

Admission of Guilt and Conflicting Claims

Witnesses claim that the headmaster explicitly directed the staff to provide the leftover rice to the children. In a concerning admission, the headmaster himself reportedly acknowledged his role in the incident.

“On Sunday, the villagers held a feast and there was some rice leftover from it. They decided to consume it later, but it was mistakenly added to the children’s mid-day meal,” stated the headmaster.

In response, the person in charge of the midday meal at the school stated, in an interaction with OTV, that she was instructed by the headmaster to serve the leftover rice to the students.

Parents Demand Action

Outraged parents have taken their grievances to the Block Education Officer, calling for immediate action against the headmaster. In their arguments, they stated that such negligence not only endangered the health of the students but also reflected poorly on the management of the midday meal programme.

Authorities Respond

The Additional Block Education Officer has confirmed that the headmaster’s statement has been forwarded to the Block Education Officer for further action. Investigations are reportedly underway to address the allegations and determine the next steps.