As many as 23 students of Sinatalia bagan LP School in Lakhimpur district fell ill in a case of suspected food poisoning after consuming a mid-day meal on Friday.

As per reports, the students complained of nausea and stomach ache after eating a typical meal of khichdi prepared by an NGO that was awarded a contract for providing meals by the education department.

All students were rushed to the nearby hospital, where authorities said that five students have been admitted while the rest were discharged after a while.

The quality of food served in schools under the Midday Meal Scheme continues to remain poor across the state.

Cases of cooking of poor quality meals in unhygienic conditions, inadequate and poor quality of infrastructure in terms of kitchen sheds and utensils were rampant across all states exposing children to health hazards, reports said.