50 students fall ill after mid-day meal in Bihar

At least 50 children fell ill Saturday after having their mid-day meal at a government school in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, officials said.

A dead lizard was found in the meal served to children, a district official said.

All the children were admitted to a government-run primary health centre and are said to be out of danger.

The children complained of uneasiness after the meal at the Belahi-Neelkanth middle school in Runnisaidpur, the official said.

The doctors who examined the children did not find any sign of poison in their bodies.

Samples of the meal have been collected by police for laboratory tests.

A few days ago too, a lizard was found in the mid-day meal served in a school in Begusarai district. Six children had fallen ill after eating the meal.

In the past, lizards, rats, frogs and insects have been found in meals served to students in the state.

Last year, 23 students died after eating a poisonous meal at a primary school at Dharmasati Gandaman village in Saran district.

A forensic report confirmed the presence of toxic insecticide strains in the cooking oil used to make food at the school.

The mid-day meal scheme is running in 72,000 schools across Bihar, and 16 million students avail of meals cooked under the scheme.