Maharashtra: Dead snake found in mid-day meal packet given at anganwadi centre, parents claim

Sangli: A tiny dead snake was allegedly found in a packet of mid-day meal meant for children at an ‘Anganwadi’ or government-run nursery school in western Maharashtra’s Sangli district.

The alleged incident was reported by the parents of a child at Palus on Monday, said Anandi Bhosale, vice-president of the state Anganwadi workers’ union, though district officials could not be contacted to confirm it.

“Children in the age group of six months to three years get packets of mid-day meal, a premix of dal khichadi, at Anganwadis. On Monday, meal packets were distributed by Anganwadi workers in Palus. The parents of one of the children claimed that a tiny dead snake was found in the packet they received,” she said on Wednesday.

The Anganwadi `sevika’ (woman worker) reported the incident to the officials, Bhosale added.

Deputy chief executive officer of the Sangli Zilla Parishad Sandip Yadav and other officials from the food safety committee visited the Anganwadi and the packet was taken away for lab tests, she said.

Despite repeated attempts, Yadav, who is in-charge of the Anganwadi section of the Zilla Parishad, could not be contacted.