1 litre milk in bucket full of water served to students in mid-day meal at UP school

Lucknow: In an incident that raises serious questions on the nutritional value of the mid-day meal served at the primary schools in Uttar Pradesh, scores of students of a primary school in Mahoba district were allegedly served one litre of milk mixed with water as mid-day meal.

The matter came to light when a video — purportedly showing the cook, identified as Chavi Rani, mixing two half litre packets of milk with a bucket full of water — surfaced on social media. The video also showed the students being given the mixed milk by the cook while the principal looked on.

Reports said that there were more than 50 students at the school at the time of distribution of milk.

The school is situated at Dhikwaha village in Kabrai Block of the district. The incident reportedly happened on Wednesday.

The video also purportedly showed the principal calling the students to drink the milk.

As the video went viral on social media, the district education officials suspended the principal and issued a notice to her seeking her explanation. ‘’We have sought an explanation from the principal and are also examining the authenticity of the video….we will ensure stern action against whosoever found guilty,’’ a senior district education official said in Mahoba.

The cook said that she mixed the milk with water and served it to the students under the direction of the principal Monika Soni.

The principal, however, refuted the charge and claimed that the cook did it on her own. ‘’She may have done it on her own…there was no direction from me,’’ she said.