Mid-day meal malpractices in UP: Children served poor quality food, headmistress suspended
A video is also going viral on social media, in which school children are seen sitting on the ground and eating burnt roti with watery vegetables.
Published on: 05 Aug 2026, 2:19 pm
Kalpana Verma, headmistress of Chhangapur Primary School in the Mahmudabad development block of Sitapur district, has been suspended with immediate effect for allegedly violating rules and poor quality of the mid-day meal. District Basic Education Officer Dr. Gorakhnath Patel took this action in an order issued on August 5th.
Meanwhile, a video is rapidly going viral on social media showing school children sitting on the ground eating watery vegetables. The video has sparked local discussion and drawn attention to the Education Department’s action. The video is reportedly from Sitapur, although the name of the school is not disclosed.
Sharing another video, Congress wrote, “Would you call this a ‘vegetable’? Probably not… but this is what is being served to children in the mid-day meal in schools in UP. The BJP government is playing such a cheap and ugly joke with children in the name of nutritious food. This government is bent upon corruption at every level by selling its shame and the situation is such that its leaders and ministers are not even refraining from snatching the food of the children.”
It is being said that swift action was taken after the video of bad food became public. The order stated that Kalpana Verma was found guilty prima facie on the basis of the investigation report and recommendation sent by Block Education Officer, Mahmudabad, letter no. 462/2026-27. The allegations are that the quality of vegetables in the mid-day meal was often poor, milk was not distributed in full quantity and the students were not made to sit in an orderly manner while eating. Besides this, she did not ensure the discharge of her duties as per the rules and adopted a conduct of indiscipline and arbitrariness by disregarding departmental orders and instructions.
He has been suspended under the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council Employees Class Rules, 1973 read with the Uttar Pradesh Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1999.
The District Basic Education Officer has designated Pushpraj Singh, Block Education Officer, Block-1, as the investigating officer to investigate this matter. He has been instructed to issue a charge sheet to the accused employee, give him an opportunity, complete the investigation as per departmental rules, and submit a clear and factual investigation report with evidence to the office within one month. During the suspension period, Kalpana Verma will attend Primary School Nadwa, Block-Mahmudabad daily. The full picture of the case will emerge only after the further investigation report is received.
