Dead lizard found in Mid-day meal in Odisha

A dead lizard was found in the mid-day meal served to children at a school in Berhampur district in Odisha on Saturday.

Reports quote Block Development Officer (BDO) Subhransu Mishra as saying that the meal was not served after the lizard was detected at the Regedi Primary School at Hinjili and over 120 students were given biscuits instead.

A district official, Bijay Kumar Das said: "A lizard was found in the food that was to be served in the mid day meal. A body called Nandi foundation prepares the mid-day meal in this region and it is distributed in Chatarpur, Hinjili and Berhampur town."

"We send two officers there everyday to check the preparation of the meal and its transportation. I have received a report that the check was conducted too and there was no problem. After transportation we don't know how the lizard was found in the food," he added.

The mid-day meal programme is facing severe criticism over hygiene and mismanagement after 23 children died this month after consuming pesticide infected food in Bihar's Chhapra district on July 16 and several others have been undergoing treatment at the Patna Medical College and Hospital.