Bilaspur. The Chhattisgarh government has issued comprehensive guidelines to ensure the safety of children’s food in schools and hostels. This step has been taken after the incident of phenyl being found in children’s food at Pakela Potakebin School in Sukma district and the High Court’s instructions. Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain has issued instructions based on 10 points, which have been sent to the chief officials of all the districts.
Under the new rules, CCTV cameras will be installed in kitchens and food serving areas in schools and hostels. To ensure the quality of food, teachers and wardens will have to taste the food before serving it and give a certificate. A nodal officer will be appointed in each district to monitor food safety, and the head of the institution will be held responsible for any lapse.
Entry of unauthorized persons into the kitchen area will be strictly prohibited. The use of locks and sealed containers will be mandatory to keep hazardous substances such as phenyl, pesticides, detergents and kerosene separate from the food storage area. Apart from this, instructions have been given to provide first aid kits and antidotes in all schools and hostels as well as coordinate with nearby health centers.
Mock drills and immediate information to the police will also be mandatory for emergencies like food poisoning. For this, a parent-teacher monitoring committee will be formed, which will do regular review. Also, there are instructions to set up a helpline and complaint mechanism at the state level. Information about even the smallest incident will have to be given to the District Education Officer and Collector.
These instructions have been sent to the School Education, Health, Women and Child Development departments as well as all the Divisional Commissioners, SPs and Collectors, so that no laxity is shown towards the safety of children’s food.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News