Lok Sabha Question No. 1759 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-10
Subject: Contaminated Food Served under PM POSHAN Scheme
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Dr. Bachhav Shobha Dinesh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1759 ANSWERED ON- 10.03.2025

## Contaminated Food Served under PM POSHAN Scheme

## 1759. Dr. Bachhav Shobha Dinesh:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken cognisance of the fact that numerous children across the State of Maharashtra have fallen sick due to contaminated food served under Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme (erstwhile Mid-day Meal Scheme) during the last six months, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has taken any action to investigate the issue, if so, the details thereof including findings of the investigation;
- (c) the details of the tender allotment process for the food which was contaminated and harmed health of children;
- (d) whether any inspections is conducted to assess the quality of food, if so, details thereof, including timeline and frequency;
- (e) the number of children that fell ill and died due to supply of contaminated food under PM POSHAN Scheme during the last five years in the State; and
- (f) the steps taken by the Government to prevent such incidents?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

- (a) & (b): Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme is implemented in partnership  with  States/  UTs  for  providing  one  hot  cooked  and  nutritious  meal  to  children studying  in  Balvatika  (just  before  class  I)  and  the  classes  I  to  VIII  of  Government  and Government-aided schools on all school working days. The overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the scheme including providing hot cooked and nutritious meal to the eligible

children and day-to-day administration lies with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.

The State  Government of Maharashtra reported  5 incidents  in  last  6  months  affecting  387 students. The State has reported that an inquiry committee was formed in each incident, show cause  notices  were  issued  to  concerned  head  masters,  services  of  self  help  group  was terminated, in one school the Principal has been suspended and cook-cum-helpers (CCHs) were removed from service. The details are attached at Annexure .

(c): State has further reported that there is e-tendering process in the State for supplying the foodgrains,  oil,  and  spices  through  selected  supplier  organization.  The  tenders  for  the transportation of rice and supply of food grains to the concerned districts, where the incidents took place were finalized in February 2023.

(d) to (f): The Government of India has issued detailed guidelines on quality, safety and hygiene to ensure serving of good quality nutritious meal under the Scheme.  All the States/ UTs were advised to adhere to these Guidelines. These guidelines are available on official website https://pmposhan.education.gov.in. The guidelines of the PM POSHAN Scheme, interalia,  provides  for  instructions  to  schools  to  procure  Agmark  quality  and  branded  items  for preparation of meals, training to Cook-cum-Helpers, tasting of meals by members of School Management Committee including at least one teacher before serving the hot meal to children. In addition, the States and UTs are advised to do testing of meals through NABL accredited laboratories. Section 28 of National Food Security Act, 2013 inter-alia envisages that every local authority, or any other authority or body, as may be authorized by the State Government, shall conduct or cause to be conducted, periodic social audits on the functioning of the scheme and  cause  to  publicize  its  findings  and  take  necessary  action,  in  such  manner  as  may  be prescribed by the State Government. The States/UTs are required to conduct Social Audit in all districts in at least 20 schools or 2% of the schools, whichever is higher for each district. The responsibility for taking action and ensuring complaisance on the Social Audit findings rests with the State/UT Nodal Department implementing the PM POSHAN Scheme. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is given responsibility for issue of food grains of best available quality, which will in any case be at least of Fair Average Quality (FAQ). The FCI appoints a Nodal Officer for each State to take care of various problems in supply of food grains under the PM POSHAN Scheme. The District Collector/CEO of Zila Panchayat ensures that food grains of at least FAQ are lifted after joint inspection by a team consisting of FCI and the nominee of the Collector and/or Chief Executive Officer, District Panchayat, and confirmation by them that the grain conforms to at least FAQ norms. Training of Cook-cum-Helpers are done  on  nutrition,  cooking  processes,  health  and  hygiene,  preparation  of  raw  grains  and vegetables, recipes, serving skills etc. in collaboration with Ministry of Tourism, Government of India through their Institutes of Hotel Management and Food Craft Institutes, FSSAI, State Agricultural Universities etc. In order to improve performance and extent of implementation, the scheme inter-alia provides elaborate monitoring mechanism inter-alia State Steering-cumMonitoring Committee under the Chairpersonship of Chief Secretary, District level Committee under  the  Chairpersonship  of  senior-most  MP  of  Lok  Sabha,  District  level  Steering-cumMonitoring Committee under the Chairpersonship of District Collector. The State Government of Maharashtra has reported that 2832 inspections were conducted in last 6 months.

Due  to  increase  in  such  incidents,  the  State  Government  has  issued  detailed  instructions regarding the errors found after the investigation of the said incidents and the precautions to be taken at the school level. State Government of Maharashtra has decided to test samples of cooked foods from two schools per month from each block and under this, an empanelment of NABL certified labs has been prepared. Also, they have issued instructions to all education officers and all their subordinate officers to inspect the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana while visiting the schools.

State Government of Maharashtra has also reported that in last five years a total of 7 incidents took  place  and  414  students  were  affected  due  to  this.  All  the  students  were  treated  and discharged from hospital and no casualty was reported.

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Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (f) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1759  for  10.03.2025  asked  by  Hon'ble  MP  Dr.  Bachhav  Shobha  Dinesh  regarding Contaminated Food Served under PM POSHAN Scheme.

## Details of incidents where students fell sick under PM Poshan Scheme in Maharashtra in last six months

|   S. No. | District   | School                                               | Date        |   Affected Children | Action taken on involved and found guilty                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|----------|------------|------------------------------------------------------|-------------|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Thane      | Secondary School Kalwa                               | 17.10. 2024 |                  47 | The incident occurred due to the negligence of the self-help group providing the meals, the services of the self-help group has been terminated.                                                                                                                              |
|        2 | Chandrapur | Zilha Parishad Central Pri. School Paradi Saoli      | 05.12. 2024 |                 126 | The incident occurred because students were forced to eat half cooked rice and grains as sufficient care was not taken while preparing the food. The principal has been suspended.                                                                                            |
|        3 | Wardha     | Zilha Parishad Central Pri. School Paradi Hinganghat | 10.12. 2024 |                  38 | The incident occurred due to the negligence of the head master and the use of spoiled food, suspension proceedings have been taken against head master.                                                                                                                       |
|        4 | Amravati   | Zilha Parishad Pri. School Adgaon Morshi             | 28.12. 2024 |                  54 | The incident occurred due to the school not storing rice and other grains in a clean place and the use of expired goods. Suspension proceedings have been taken against the head master and the cook-cum-helpers have also been removed from work.                            |
|        5 | Beed       | Ramkrishna Vidyalaya Vida Kaij                       | 17.01. 2025 |                 122 | The incident occurred when the head master and teacher cooked food in the open space despite the availability of a kitchen shed, and something fell into food and contaminated the food. Disciplinary action has been done against the head master and the teacher concerned. |