C'garh govt asks officials to inspect mid-day meals

In the wake of the mid-day meal tragedy in Bihar, the Chhattisgarh government has directed its officials to keep a strict vigil on preparation of the meals.

The state has also directed the concerned officials to conduct routine inspection at schools and anganwadis and taste the cooked food being served to children, to check its quality.

'Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development, Vivek Dhand has directed the collectors through video-conferencing to keep a close vigil on the preparation of the food served under 'mid-day meal' scheme in the schools and 'ready to eat' scheme in anganwadis,' an official said here today.

'He has also directed the officials to carry out frequent inspections to check food grains and taste the cooked food in order to ascertain its quality,' the official added.

While having a broad discussion over the issue with collectors, Dhand has also asked people to keep cooked and uncooked food covered, particularly in the ongoing rainy season.

Even the green vegetables should be properly washed before use, he instructed.

Meanwhile, school education secretary Dinesh Shrivastava has directed to release the payment to the self help groups (SHGs), engaged in cooking mid-day meal, in advance, the official added.