No mid-day meals forces kids to collect scrap, beg in Bhagalpur

The children in Bihar's Bhagalpur are collecting scraps and begging amid coronavirus pandemic. The government schools are closed and no mid-day meals are available for children.

Bhagalpur: With the government schools closed and no mid-day meals available, the poor kids in Bhagalpur district are forced to collect scraps or beg amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The children living in Mushari tola of Nathnagar block have started collecting garbage and resorted to begging in nearby areas.

The family members are unemployed due to pandemic and are unable to arrange a one-square meal.

Villager Rocket Manjhi said: "People here have now only two options-picking garbage or begging in order to satisfy their hunger. Now, children are unable to go to school, so they are being forced to collect garbage and beg."

The state government has been depositing money of mid-day meals in the account of kid's parent, District Magistrate Pranab Kumar said.

"About Rs 114.21 has been deposited in the bank accounts of kids from class 1 to 5 and Rs 171.17 has been transferred to accounts of kids from class 6 to 8 for 15 days," he added.

Reportedly, around 5.25 lakh kids have been registered for the mid-day meal program in the Bhagalpur district. Among them, most of the children go to school every day for meals.

The kids have started collecting scrap after schools were closed due to pandemic. They earn approximately Rs 10-20 per day.

Taking cognizance of the situation, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice and have a sought report from the state government.

According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, 48.3 per cent of children (under 5 years of age) are stunted and 43.9 per cent kids are underweight or malnourished in Bihar. The survey reveals that it is much above the national average of 38.4 and 35.7 percentage.