Lizard found near mid-day meal, Sisodia vows action
New Delhi, July 9 : Just two days after girls from an MCD school were hospitalised after eating their mid-day meals, a video on Monday surfaced online, showing cobwebs on the roof and a lizard near unpacked food at a mid-day meal centre here.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, along with some officers, was out on an early morning surprise inspection of two mid-day meal base kitchens when this incident occurred.
Sisodia warned the suppliers and workers of the kitchen: "This is how accidents happen... No lizard or cobwebs should be seen around food."
After finding irregularities in safety precautions taken to prepare the meals, Sisodia said he would now be doing regular inspections of kitchens in Delhi and will take "strict action" against any carelessness.
"After the incident where two girls had to be hospitalised after eating mid-day meals in their school, I have decided to conduct regular inspections of kitchens from now on," Sisodia told reporters during the inspection.
Warning the kitchen workers of strict action, Sisodia said: "The work of preparing meals for children should be carried out responsibly and with a sense of service. All irregularities like not wearing gloves and not covering shoes should be taken care of."
On July 7, two girls were admitted to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital after eating the mid-day meal served in their school. After receiving a complaint about a lizard found in the meal, Sisodia visited the MCD school and terminated the contract of the supplier.
The food vendor was charged with negligence under section 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after the school principal lodged a police complaint.
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Former South African cricketers arrested on match-fixing charges
Cape Town: Three former South African cricketers, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thami Tsolekile, and Ethy Mbhalati, have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of corruption in connection to the 2015-16 Ram Slam T20 Challenge match-fixing scandal.
The trio faces five charges under s. 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004, a South African law aimed at tackling corruption. Investigations by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, revealed their alleged involvement in attempting to manipulate matches in collaboration with Indian bookmakers.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has clarified that no matches were ultimately affected, as the conspirators’ plans were thwarted. However, the scandal has cast a shadow on the integrity of South African cricket.
These arrests follow the 2016-2017 bans imposed on the three cricketers, alongside four others, for their roles in the same scandal. Among them, Gulam Bodi served time in prison, while Jean Symes and Pumi Matshikwe received suspended sentences after pleading guilty in 2021 and 2022. There has been no update on possible charges against Alviro Petersen, another player implicated in the controversy.
The legal proceedings, which mark the first application of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act in sports-related corruption, have been postponed until February 2025 to allow further investigation.
Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, National Head of the Hawks, stressed the importance of safeguarding the integrity of sport, stating, “Corruption undermines the integrity of sport, and the Hawks are determined to safeguard the values of fairness and professionalism in all areas of society.”
