MP school gets steel plates after children seen eating on newspapers

A primary school in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district has got steel plates after a viral video showed its students having mid-day meal on a newspaper, drawing severe criticism, including from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

BJP leader and former state minister Ramniwas Rawat and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Abhishek Mishra joined the students of the government school in Hullapur under the Vijaypur block and ate mid-day meal with them on Saturday.

A video posted on social media showed the school premises spruced up and children enjoying their lunch on brand new stainless steel plates.

“Today, our entire team visited the spot and inspected the food. It was found that the meal was properly served on plates. I myself, along with public representatives, also ate the meal there,” Mishra told reporters on Saturday.

“In the same way, we are monitoring this matter to ensure that no such incident happens again,” he added.

The video of food served on newspapers went viral on Tuesday, following which the authorities on Friday cancelled the contract of the self-help group responsible for preparing meals and handed over the job to the school management committee, the official said.

While the school in charge, Bhogiram Dhakad, has been suspended, notices have been issued to two other staffers, he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday shared a video on X of the school children having mid-day meal on newspaper and targeted the state and the central government over it.

He alleged that the ruling BJP's “development” is just an illusion and the party's real secret of coming to power is “vyavastha” (the system).

“These are the same innocent children on whose dreams the future of the country rests and they are not even getting a plate of dignity,” Gandhi said in his post in Hindi.

“Such a chief minister and prime minister should feel ashamed for nurturing the future of the country's children in this pitiable state,” the Congress leader added.