A shocking lapse in food safety has emerged from a government school in Madhya Pradesh, where a live frog was discovered in the midday meal meant for students. This incident, reported on Monday, comes just days after another controversy where children in Sheopur district were served meals on waste paper instead of plates.
Disturbing Discovery in the Meal Bucket
The incident occurred at the Government Primary School in Gokulpur, located in the Gwalior district. According to school staff, the frog was found when the meal bucket was opened just before it was to be served to the children. Teachers present at the scene immediately recorded a video of the contaminated food as evidence and alerted senior education officials.
Upon seeing the frog, several children who had gathered for their lunch refused to eat the meal. This is not an isolated complaint from the school. Both staff and students stated they have repeatedly raised concerns about the poor quality of the midday meals in the past. They alleged earlier instances of foul smell, insects, and generally contaminated food being served, but claimed no corrective action was taken by the authorities.
Officials React, Probe Ordered
Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan confirmed to the media that the matter is being seriously inquired into. Senior district official Sojan Singh Rawat, the District Panchayat CEO, also addressed the media, stating he has taken serious note of the complaint. He announced that a probe is already underway to identify the lapses in the meal preparation and distribution process and to fix accountability for this grave negligence.
The midday meal scheme is a crucial central government initiative aimed at improving nutrition and encouraging school attendance among children. Incidents like these severely undermine the scheme's objectives and raise serious questions about hygiene and oversight at the ground level.
A Pattern of Neglect Emerges
This event in Gwalior follows the recently reported incident from Sheopur district, highlighting a potential pattern of systemic failure in the implementation of the midday meal scheme in some areas of Madhya Pradesh. The repeated complaints from the Gokulpur school suggest that warnings were ignored, allowing the situation to escalate to this alarming discovery.
The ongoing investigation will now need to trace the source of the contamination—whether it occurred during cooking, transportation, or storage—and hold those responsible accountable. The primary concern remains the health and safety of the students who depend on this program for a nutritious meal during their school day.
