Chennai:
Two officials have been suspended after 80 rotten eggs were found by authorities during an inspection at a mid-day meal centre in Ambur in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu.
District Collector P Sankar has also ordered a replacement of the entire batch of around 15,000 eggs by a private supplier.
"We have suspended two officials, Junior Assistant and a Deputy Block Development Officer for failing to check this," Mr Sankar said, adding "It is just as a mark of abundant precaution. We've ordered replacement by the supplier. These eggs were to be supplied to three centres."
Officials say the district administration has also sent a show cause notice to the supplier for the high percentage of rotten eggs.
Financially weak students in government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu are served egg every day. The authorities are on an overdrive conducting surprise checks to ensure the mid-day meal served is absolutely safe.
Last week 170 children of a government school fell sick at Neyveli after consuming a mid-day meal. Just a day before that, 23 children died at Chhapra in Bihar after eating a mid-meal at their school which allegedly had traces of pesticide in it.