Challapalli school receives infested rice bags

A controversy has erupted in Challapalli after worm-infested rice was found in bags intended for the mid-day meal scheme at a Zilla Parishad High School and High School Plus College in Puritigadda. This discovery has cast a shadow on the coalition government's claim of supplying quality rice to government schools.

The issue was brought to light when officials from the Civil Supplies, Revenue, and Education departments conducted an inspection in response to a news report. The team, including Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Stores Manager V. Srilakshmi and District Manager VV Sivaprasad, confirmed the presence of worms in the rice bags. School staff informed officials that despite washing the rice multiple times, the worms remained. The officials immediately ordered the infested rice to be returned.

The investigation also revealed a more significant breach of protocol. The rice bags arrived without the mandatory QR code tags, which are meant to ensure accountability and track the supply chain from the main stock point to the school.

Puritigadda School Principal KSN Sharma said that the QR code tags were sometimes given to them separately after the rice bags were unloaded. This practice, in which the tags are scanned and uploaded to the website without being sealed to the bags, suggests a possible misappropriation of the quality rice intended for students.

Civil Supplies Stores Manager V. Srilakshmi stated that every rice bag should have a sealed QR code tag. She confirmed that the rice was supplied from the Nagayalanka MLS point in Avanigadda constituency and assured that an investigation would be conducted to determine why the bags were unsealed. She added that action would be taken against those responsible.

During the inspection, Tahsildar Vanajakshi reportedly expressed anger at Kumbha Durga Bhavani, the vice-chairperson of the parent-teacher committee, for speaking to the media about the issue, suggesting that she should be removed from her post. In response, Durga Bhavani stated, "Positions are not important to me. The safety and future of the children are important."

Meanwhile, District Civil Supplies Manager Sivarama Prasad confirmed that similar issues with missing QR code tags have been observed at other schools and welfare institutions. Notices have been issued to Sri Venkateswara Rao Enterprises, the Guntur-based company responsible for supplying the un-tagged rice bags to the MLS points. The ongoing investigation highlights serious concerns about the integrity of the mid-day meal supply chain.