Fungus and live larvae was found in the nutritional snacks provided to students in two Zilla Parishad and state government-aided schools in Maharashtra’s Palghar. The contamination was found in snacks that were served at Anand Laxman Chandavar Vidyalaya and Chinchani Zilla Parishad School number 3 in the tribal-dominated district of Maharashtra.
Confirming the incident, Palghar’s District Magistrate (DM) Govind Bodke told news agency PTI that the samples have been collected, and strict action will be taken against the supplier of the snacks after the laboratory report was received.
After the complaint, the concerned snack, chikki (a sweet, nutrition-rich snack), was sent for laboratory examination.
Speaking to the news agency PTI, parents claimed the snack was covered with fungus and live larvae. “The health of our children is at risk. How can we trust the meals being given to them?” a parent was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The School Education Department ensures these meals are part of a scheme aimed at providing nutritional food to underprivileged students, helping them meet their dietary needs and incentivising school attendance.
“We’ve complained repeatedly, yet the administration shows negligence towards our children,” another parent claimed.
The DM said that fungus and larvae were found in the food given to students from a couple of schools in Palghar and food samples have been sent for laboratory tests.
“The district-level education officers have collected the samples and sent them to laboratories for a detailed report. We need to wait until the laboratory submits its report. Action will be initiated against the supplier after the report is submitted,” DM said.
