Dead rat found in a midday meal in UP, eight students and teacher taken ill, inquiry ordered
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 3: In yet another instance of negligence in midday meal distribution, a dead rat was found in the food served in a school here on Tuesday, following which an inquiry has been ordered by the district administration.
Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar Singh said that eight students and a teacher of Janata Inter-College in Mustafabad Panchenda village were taken ill and sent to hospital after the rat was found in one of the plates though no one had eaten the food at that time.
NGO Janklyan Samiti of Hapur had supplied the mid-day meal to the school.
An inquiry has been ordered into the incident and strict action will be taken against those found guilty of negligence, Singh said.
District authorities have ordered lodging of an FIR against the mid-day meal supplier, the official said.
The students and the teacher complained of vomiting after they saw the rat and were taken to hospital, he said.
Last week, another case of apathy had come to light when a video showed that a litre of milk was allegedly diluted with a bucket of water so that 81 children could be served during their midday meal at a government school in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, following which a teacher was suspended.
Two months earlier a similar shocking video had emerged from Siyur Primary School in Mirzapur district showing a woman distributing rotis and another giving salt to children in the midday meal.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had taken note of the Mirzapur incident and sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary following which two teachers were suspended.
According to a NHRC statement, the commission had also sought a detailed report about the status of the midday meal scheme across the state within four weeks.
The state government had lodged an FIR against the journalist who recorded the video of schoolchildren being served salt and roti in their midday meal.
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Chhattisgarh govt enforces austerity measures, restricts foreign travel and cuts convoy vehicles
Raipur (PTI): The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday rolled out a set of austerity measures, including restricted use of convoy vehicles for the chief minister, ministers and heads of state-run bodies, besides curbs on foreign travel at government expense.
The state has decided to implement the cost-saving steps with immediate effect to ensure efficient management of financial resources and discipline in public spending, said a directive issued by Finance Secretary Rohit Yadav.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The order said that only essential vehicles should be used in the convoys of the CM, ministers and office-bearers of corporations, boards and commissions, while ensuring restrained use of other government resources.
It also directed departments to take steps for a phased conversion of all official vehicles into electric vehicles in order to promote the use of EVs.
As part of fuel-saving measures, expenditure on petrol and diesel for government vehicles should be kept to a minimum, the directive said.
Vehicle pooling arrangements should also be implemented for officials of departments travelling to the same destination, it added.
The order further stated that foreign travel of government employees at state expenses will be completely prohibited except under extremely unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, prior approval of the CM will be mandatory.
To reduce administrative expenditure, departments have been instructed to hold physical meetings preferably only once a month and encourage virtual and online meetings. Regular departmental review meetings should compulsorily be conducted through video conferencing, it said.
The government also stressed the need for energy conservation in its offices, directing that all electrical equipment, including lights, fans, air-conditioners and computers, must be switched off after office hours.
The directive will remain effective till September 30 this year.
Amid the war involving the US, Israel and Iran, Modi has suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of EVs, utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
