HC asks Chhattisgarh govt to pay Rs 25,000 each to students served dog-soiled mid-day meal
Bilaspur, Aug 20 (PTI): The Chhattisgarh High Court has directed the state government to pay within a month Rs 25,000 each to the students who consumed mid-day meals soiled by a dog at a middle school in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district last month.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru, in an order delivered on Tuesday, highlighted negligence on part of the government in the entire episode and expressed the hope authorities will be more vigilant and careful in providing mid-day meal to students.
While awarding the compensation to 84 pupils, the bench did not take into account the state's argument that the affected students of the government school were administered three doses of anti-rabies vaccine and they were found to be fit after a subsequent health check-up.
The HC gave the ruling after taking suo motu (on its own) cognizance of the matter as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and sought an affidavit from the state government.
According to an inquiry report submitted by the government in the HC, the incident took place on July 28 at the government middle school located in Lachchhanpur village in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district.
The report, citing statements of the students, said a dog soiled the food distributed under the mid-day meal scheme. A self-help group (SHG) prepares food items served to students under the scheme at the school.
The students alerted teachers who advised SHG members not to distribute the dog-soiled food, but their directive was ignored. Despite a complaint made to the school headmaster, soiled eatables were not removed from the meal and subsequently consumed by the students, it said.
The Chief Medical and Health Officer, Balodabazar-Bhatapara, later submitted a report, according to which, up to August 8, three doses of anti-rabies vaccine had been administered to 84 children, it said.
According to the CMHO's report, all the affected pupils were found to be medically fit after a health check-up and were regularly attending the school. However, as a precaution, the children have been kept under continuous observation of Primary Health Centre personnel at Lachchhanpur.
The SHG has been removed from the work of preparing mid-day meal at the school and barred from availing any further governmental benefit. The school's in-charge Principal Santosh Kumar Sahu, Cluster Principal, In-charge Headmaster, teachers and Cluster Coordinator were suspended via an order dated August 6, the government report said.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Balodabazar-Bhatapara collector, in a letter addressed to school education department officials, issued directions related to preparation and distribution of mid-day meal.
The Directorate of School Education has also issued guidelines to District Education Officers, asking them to ensure maintenance of cleanliness and hygiene, undertake regular quality and safety check after preparation of food items and follow prescribed standards mandated under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojna.
The state government told the court no compensation was given as the affected students as they were found to be fit after a health check-up.
However, the bench noted, "Considering the fact that it was an institution of the government and SHG was assigned to provide mid-day meal, but the said mid-day meal was soiled by a dog and it was unfit for consumption for the students of the school.
"And though three doses of anti-rabies has been administered to 84 children of the school, it was negligent on the part of the state to take care that the food which was being offered in the mid-day meal by the SHG to the children of middle school, we deem it proper that Rs 25,000 be paid by the state to each of the student of the concerned middle school, who had consumed the said meal, within a period of one month from today."
The HC further observed, "We hope and trust that the state would be more vigilant and careful in providing mid-day meal to the children studying in government schools."
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
