Tumkur– A surprising incident unfolded at a government school in Sira taluk, Tumkur district, where a section of students reportedly refused to partake in the mid-day meal prepared by a Dalit woman. Activists from the village claimed that children associated with the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) Chairman and members opted to bring separate lunch boxes, citing the background of the meal preparer.
Education department officials, including the Block Education Officer and Assistant Director (Mid-Day-Meal), promptly investigated the matter. Contrary to allegations of caste-based discrimination, they found that five children had abstained from the free meal, claiming nausea after consumption.
As per a leading hindi daily report, the in-charge of the mid-day meal program stated, “We gathered information from parents and teachers about five children who were not partaking in the school meals. Upon inquiry, they revealed that the children felt nauseated after eating. There is no evidence of caste-based discrimination, with parents, teachers, and students expressing support for the school authorities’ meal service.”
To address the situation, officials visited the school and spoke with stakeholders. After the inquiry, it was revealed that everyone, except one individual allergic to the school’s food, had partaken in the lunch together.
Manjunath, the block education officer of Madhugiri taluk, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, stated, “Everyone had lunch together, except for one person who was allergic to the food served in the school.”
MDM is a government scheme to improve the health of children by offering nutritious food to students of primary schools run by the government. However, it is not mandatory for a student to eat the meal served at the school. Many incidents have been reported in the past where children have abstained from consuming food prepared by cook from dalit community.
This story was originally published in themooknayak.com. Read the full story here .