Bhubaneswar, Feb. 2: Concerned over repeated instances of schoolchildren falling sick after taking midday meals, the Orissa government has ruled that headmasters and teachers would have to taste the food before it is served to students.

?Children will take the food only after teachers certify that it is safe,? said school and mass education minister Nagendra Pradhan. The government is expected to issue the formal notification within a fortnight.

On January 27, 39 students of Laxmannath Upper Primary School in Jaleswar block of Balasore fell ill after consuming their midday meal. A student, by mistake, added fertiliser to the curry instead of salt in the absence of a cook. Soon after the students took the meal, they complained of giddiness and started to vomit.

Last year, 29 students fell ill after taking their mid-day meal at a primary school in Narsirighpur block of Cuttack district. Minutes after eating the food the students started vomiting. It was later revealed that some poisonous insect had fallen into the meal.

Secretary in the state women and child development department, S.B. Agnihotri, said such problems arise as teachers double as cooks in many schools. ?Their primary duty is teaching, not cooking,? Agnihotri said.

Under the mid-day meal programme ? for students of Classes I to V ? the Centre provides free rice while the state women and child development department provides the dal, oil and salt. A standard meal comprises 125 gm rice, 15 gm dal, 1 gm oil, 2 gm salt and vegetable/condiment worth 9 paise per student per day.

Besides, fuel and stationery worth Rs 1.30 is given to each student every month. Over 51 lakh school children in 52,000 schools and 19,000 education guarantee scheme (EGS) centres take mid-day meals every day.

According to Agnihotri, the government will rope in women?s self-help groups to prepare meals fit for consumption. Having raised the budgetary allocation for the mid-day meal programme, the state will be able to pay a fixed amount to members of these groups for their efforts. In urban areas, the government will ask NGOs to prepare lunch for students.