Karavali

Udipi: Heaps of white & black stones, paddy seeds found abundant in mid-day meal rice supplied to schools

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Udupi, Aug 02Of late, it has become the talk of the town with regard to the sub-standard, unhygienic supply of mid-day meals (Bisi voota) in schools. The irony is that children in schools almost across India have been falling sick immediately after consuming adulterated mid-day meals.The reasons are many either due to gross negligence in the preparation of food, food poisoning, insects or some other rodents found or usage of contaminated water or usage of bad quality ingredients and list goes on.Now it is the turn of stones and paddy seeds. In Udipi it has been reported that large amount of white stones and paddy seeds were being discovered in the rice that has been supplied to schools for mid-day meal.The rice which were being supplied in sacks had a label on it mentioning the brand name as “GMT”rice and name of the place of production as Harihara and Firozpura with lot of white stones, black stones and a large amount of paddy seeds, apparently believed to be adulterated rice.

The teachers and staff of the schools have to spend a lot of time segregating the rice from the adulterated stuff in it.

There are about one lac students, each consuming about 150 grams of rice in mid day meals in the district. About 150 quintals of rice is required per day.  The rice gets supplied once in three or four months to the schools.

The adulteration of rice has increased during June and July, this academic year. The rice is being supplied from Bharat Food Supplies and a legal notice has already been served on them.

Seetharama Shetty, assistant director of Aksharadasoha project warned the supplier stating that the entire load of rice is sent back to them in case of complaint is being repeated. He added that a random sack of rice in the consignment will be picked for verification before dispatching to the schools in the future.

He assured the media that the entire rice consignments will be returned if such instances recur.

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