Maharashtra: Dead snake in Anganwadi midday meal packet sparks alarm

A small dead snake was reportedly found in a packet distributed as the midday meal for children aged between six months and three years at an Anganwadi (childcare centre) in Maharashtra's Sangli district on Monday (July 1).

The incident was reported by the parents of a child in Palus on Monday, said Anandi Bhosale, vice-president of the State Anganwadi Workers' Union in Sangli.

Matter in Assembly

Congress leader and Palus-Kadegaon MLA Vishwajeet Kadam raised the issue in the Maharashtra Assembly and sought a detailed probe into the incident and action against those guilty.

Officials said the child's parents threw away the dead snake after photographing it. The food sample from the packet has been sent to a laboratory for testing.

Children in Anganwadis get midday meal packets, which contain a premix of dal khichdi.

Godown sealed

“The parents of one child claimed that a tiny dead snake was found in the packet they received," Bhosale said on Wednesday.

Sandip Yadav, who heads the Women and Child Welfare and Anganwadi section, said the godown where the meal packets are stored was sealed following the incident.

The Food and Drugs Administration has collected samples of the food items from the packet for laboratory testing.