Assam: 50 students fall ill after taking iron folic acid tablets
Charaideo (Assam) (PTI): Altogether 50 students of two schools in Assam's Charaideo district were taken ill on Saturday purportedly after consuming iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets provided by Health department workers, official sources said.
The students were taken to the Sonari Civil Hospital, where they were treated and discharged later.
The officials said a health workers' team from Batau sub-centre under Patsaku Block primary health centre distributed IFA tablets to 75 students of Kheranipathar Lower Primary School and 26 students of Nimalia Lower Primary School.
The tablets were distributed in presence of teachers and the children were advised not to consume them on an empty stomach.
After a while, the health team received information from the school authorities that two children from each school were vomiting and complaining of abdominal pain.
"They were immediately taken to Sonari Civil Hospital and further health intervention. Later, 48 more children were taken to the hospital for examination," a source said.
A health department release said the situation is being closely monitored.
IFA tablets are given to children by the government as iron-folic acid supplements.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NDA to boycott Feb 5 TN bypoll, says BJP leader Annamalai
The BJP-led NDA has decided to boycott the Erode East bypoll scheduled for February 5 and would focus on dethroning the ruling DMK in the hustings next year, the saffron party's state unit said on Sunday.
The BJP's announcement virtually makes the election a no-contest as the main opposition AIADMK and the DMDK have already announced boycotting the byelections necessitated by the death of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan. The DMK has nominated VC Chandrakumar on behalf of its-led bloc, which also has the Congress in the alliance.
BJP TN chief K Annamalai said the upcoming elections were a “byelection for a byelection”, following the bypoll held here in 2022. He recalled there were accusations of the ruling DMK then "confining" people at designated places.
The NDA faced the DMK violating poll rules due to the "arrogance" of being the ruling party.
"The coming 2026 Assembly polls are one meant to remove the DMK (from the ruling saddle), and the NDA is moving towards that target and does not want to allow the DMK to confine people like cattle once again," he said in a statement.
"All leaders of the NDA who wish for people's welfare, after detailed consultation, have decided to boycott the Erode East bypoll. Our target is to remove the DMK in the 2026 elections and give the NDA's good governance to people," Annamalai said.
The state has been pushed to a "dark period" with no safety for various sections of society and the DMK government was an "anti-people" one where law and order has also failed, the former IPS officer alleged.
NDA constituents in the state include Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
Incidentally, the AIADMK that was a part of the NDA in 2022 had fielded its nominee in that year's bypoll to Erode East seat but lost to Congress' Elangovan, who faced the elections following the death of his son and local MLA E Thirumahan Everaa.
