Parrikar plays down mid-day meal episode in Goa, mulls changes

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today sought to downplay last week's food poisoning at a school near here, terming it as a "mild incident" and indicated changes in the popular nutritional scheme for students.
Twenty-two students fell ill after consuming mid-day meal at a school on Friday last in what Education Department said was a case of food poisoning. The incident took place at St Joseph High School at Usgao town, about 40 km from here.
"There is no need to panic. It was a mild incident. Except one student, who complained of stomach ache, rest of the students had no symptoms (of food poisoning)," Parrikar told reporters here.

He was asked whether mid-day meal scheme at schools in the state would be suspended till discrepancies in its management are rectified.
Parrikar said his Government will ensure hygiene is maintained in the kitchen where mid-day meal is cooked and also instill confidence among parents about the scheme.
The Chief Minister, who also holds education portfolio, has on July 24 called a meeting of parents and self-help groups (SHGs), who cook mid-day meal.

A total of 2.4 lakh students eat mid-day meal in Goa's schools every day, Parrikar stated.
He said the Government might introduce some changes in the scheme like making school management and parent-teacher associations (PTAs) responsible for cooking the food served to students.

The schools will have to select self-help groups and monitor their kitchens. Government will pay but the PTAs and managements will have to manage the entire affair," he said, hinting at decentralising the scheme which is currently run through 80 SHGs across Goa.
The CM said he is not in favour of temporarily suspending the programme. "If we stop the scheme now, the system which is in place would get disturbed and it will take at least six months to put it in place again.