Students at a primary school in Hullapur, located in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, began receiving new steel plates for mid-day meals this past Saturday . This important change followed widespread circulation of a viral video earlier in the week, showing children eating government-provided meals directly from newspapers. The incident sparked immediate, severe public criticism, including a condemnation from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. This prompted rapid intervention from local authorities.
The Viral Incident
The video surfaced on social media and gained traction. Posted on Tuesday, January 16 , the footage showed students gathered on the school premises. They were consuming their mid-day meal served on sheets of newspaper. This practice violated established health and hygiene norms for the federally funded nutrition program. Visual evidence brought the school’s meal service practices under national scrutiny and highlighted a lapse in oversight.
Immediate Administrative Action
In response to the viral video, district officials implemented corrective measures by Friday, January 19 . Authorities cancelled the contract of the self-help group previously responsible for meal preparation and distribution. This decision immediately ceased the group’s involvement. Responsibility for the mid-day meal program transferred to the school management committee. Bhogiram Dhakad, the school in-charge, was suspended from his duties. Notices were issued to two additional school staffers implicated in the lapse of supervision, initiating an internal inquiry into their conduct.
Official Inspection and Assurance
On Saturday, January 20 , senior government officials visited the Hullapur government primary school to assess the situation. BJP leader and former state minister Ramniwas Rawat, accompanied by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Abhishek Mishra, participated in the mid-day meal alongside the students. Both officials were observed eating their meals from the newly supplied stainless steel plates. SDM Mishra addressed local reporters, confirming improvements. He stated, “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 assured ongoing vigilance, emphasizing that monitoring would occur to prevent any recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Political Condemnation
The incident attracted political criticism from opposition figures. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, used his X account on Saturday, January 20 , to share the viral video. Gandhi criticized both the state and central governments over the conditions observed. He alleged that the ruling BJP’s promised ‘development’ was an illusion, asserting that the party’s true success lay in ‘vyavastha’ (the system). In a statement, Gandhi wrote, “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.” He concluded, “Such a chief minister and prime minister should feel ashamed for nurturing the future of the country’s children in this pitiable state.”