At least 22 primary school students in Venkatapur village, Sangareddy district of Telangana, were hospitalised after falling ill following their mid-day meal on Thursday; all have since been discharged after treatment, officials said. Initial probes suggest possible food contamination, and the Telangana State Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance and sought a detailed report from the district administration.
This comes amid similar recurring cases in the region and beyond, including over 33 students in a government school near Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) falling ill earlier in January, raising renewed concerns over food safety and monitoring of the national mid-day meal scheme.
Scores Hospitalised After Mid-Day Meal in Telangana School
Around 22 children studying at a Mandal Parishad Primary School in Venkatapur village, Narayankhed mandal of Sangareddy district were hospitalised on 29 January after falling sick soon after consuming their midday meal, according to local officials.
The students, who had been served sambar and rice, began experiencing stomach pain, discomfort and vomiting shortly after eating, and were rushed to the Narayankhed Government Hospital for medical attention.
Authorities confirmed that all affected students were in stable condition and were discharged after receiving treatment. A Narayanked police official was quoted saying, “Around 22 students were hospitalised after consuming sambar and rice.
They experienced symptoms like stomach pain and were immediately shifted to the hospital for treatment. All are stable, and we’re expecting they’ll be discharged by tonight.” The official added that no complaints have yet been received from parents as investigations continue into the cause of the illness.
Eyewitness accounts from parents and villagers suggested that the midday meal served that day may have been leftover food from a local function, which was reheated and distributed to students — a claim that officials are looking into as part of the inquiry. Independent local reporting also noted that the food served was reportedly prepared outside the school premises due to ongoing delays in construction of the school’s cooking shed, leading to renewed calls for stricter hygiene and preparation practices.
District officials, including the District Collector and local MLA Sanjeev Reddy, visited the hospital and interacted with affected children and their families after the incident. A mid-day meal cook at the school was reportedly dismissed, and a show-cause notice has been issued to the in-charge headmaster, as part of the ongoing administrative actions.
In response to the latest events, the Telangana State Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and directed the Sangareddy District Collector to submit a detailed report by 24 February, highlighting the seriousness with which the incident is being treated at higher administrative levels.
Background: Other Mid-Day Meal Illness Incidents Raise Alarm
These recent events are not isolated. Earlier in January, a similar health scare occurred near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu’s Sultanpet Union, where more than 33 students at Odakkalpalayam Government Middle School fell ill after consuming their mid-day meal. Shortly after eating, many children began reporting vomiting, severe stomach pain and discomfort, and were admitted to various hospitals, including Aram Hospital in Sultanpet and other nearby facilities.
Local authorities in that case also launched an official investigation, and the Sultanpet Block Development Officer ordered an inspection of food quality, while police initiated an inquiry into possible lapses in food preparation and safety protocols.
Experts and child welfare advocates note that such incidents, scattered across different states yet occurring under the same national programme, underscore the ongoing challenges in ensuring consistent food safety standards, hygiene practices and monitoring mechanisms across India’s mid-day meal system — one of the largest school feeding programmes in the world, reaching millions of children in government and aided schools.
What makes these events particularly troubling is that the mid-day meal scheme, launched in the 1990s, was envisioned not just as a nutritional supplement, but as a means to improve school attendance and learning outcomes, particularly among children from economically disadvantaged communities. Yet, health incidents like these risk undermining trust, prompting parents and educators to demand more robust oversight and accountability from both school administrations and state authorities.
Adding to these concerns, independent reports from other parts of Telangana in recent months have noted similar episodes of students falling sick after consuming school meals, prompting calls for stricter quality control and routine health screenings at school kitchens.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The mid-day meal scheme remains one of India’s most laudable social initiatives, aimed at combating hunger, improving nutrition and reducing dropouts among school-age children. However, the recurrence of food-related illnesses across multiple states highlights systemic gaps in implementation that cannot be overlooked. It is not enough to provide meals — those meals must be safe, hygienic and nutritionally adequate, prepared in environments that prioritise children’s health above all else.
The fact that the Human Rights Commission has intervened in the latest Telangana case is welcome, but such responses must translate into sustainable structural changes — including training for kitchen staff, regular inspections, food quality audits, transparent record-keeping and meaningful engagement with parents and local communities. A child’s right to health and education must never be compromised by lapses that are preventable with adequate oversight.
