More than 60 students from a primary school allegedly fell sick in Chitradurga district of Karnataka, after consuming mid-day meal on Tuesday.

The students had complained of stomach ache and nausea, and some had started vomiting after consuming the meal on November 5. Over 125 students had consumed the food served in the school, and at least 20 students were admitted to a local hospital. A student said that she found a lizard in the food.

The parents of the students have demanded the school administration to admit their mistake. “We are poor people. The school administration and the cooks who prepare the food for children have to take responsibility,” said one of the parents, according to a report by ANI.

“Sample of the dishes have been sent for lab testing as a lizard was suspected to have been found in one of the vessels in which rice was cooked. We are waiting for the report,” said Satyabhama C, Chitradurga Chief Executive Officer, according to a reported by The Times of India.

In September, a similar incident had occurred in an Anganwadi in Mandya district of Karnataka, where over 12 children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal. A lizard was suspected to have fallen in the food served to the children.

The Mid Day Meal Programme was first introduced in Tamil Nadu and later nationalised in 1995 to enhance enrolment, retention, and attendance and improve nutritional levels among children.

The scheme provides cooked mid-day meal to all children studying in Government, Local Body and Government-aided primary and upper primary schools and the Centres run under Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS)/Alternative & Innovative Education (AIE). According to the guidelines of the scheme, for upper primary students, the meal should contain a minimum of 700 calories and 20 grams of protein.

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