BENGALURU: Two anganwadi workers were suspended for allegedly placing eggs on the plates of children and later taking them back during mid-day meals at a village in Koppal district recently. They were suspended after a video went viral.
The state government recently made eggs mandatory for students under the midday meal scheme.
The workers Lakshmi and Shahnaz Begum were suspended soon after the incident came to light from Gundur village in Koppal district.
The video shows one of the teachers collecting all the eggs served on the plates of eight children and storing them back in the kitchen. An order by the Women and Child Welfare Department, which manages over 69,000 Anganwadis, stated that the Koppal child development project officer too will be suspended. The department also issued a notice to the district’s deputy director on August 9.
Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar said that as soon as the matter came to her notice, immediate action was taken and instructions were given to department officials to suspend the two workers. “Serving nutritious food and providing equality in education is the objective of Anganwadis. No injustice will be done to underprivileged children,” she added.
Hebbalkar said she has sought a detailed report and warned other officers and workers of strict action if such an incident is repeated. She stressed that anyone found guilty of such misconduct would be compulsorily retired from their positions in the department.