VOA标准英语2013--In India, Mid-Day Meal Deaths Prompt Increased Scrutiny

 

In India, Mid-Day Meal Deaths Prompt Increased Scrutiny¹

NEW DELHI — Police in northern India this week charged a principal with murdering 23 children, who died in July after eating a school lunch contaminated with pesticide². The tragedy has prompted the government to take a second look at the country's mid-day meal program - said to be the largest such scheme in the world.

It’s two o’clock in the afternoon and the courtyard outside this school is packed with students like 12-year old Rahul Bhart,i who know firsthand the importance of the chickpea and flat bread meal being served for lunch.

“If the food is not distributed, all the kids will go hungry,” said Bharti.

His statement is not an exaggeration. The mid-day meal program is a critical component³ of India's strategy to combat high rates of malnutrition⁴ and to boost school enrollment⁵.

Feeding millions in need

While some states have had such programs in place for years, the Supreme⁶ Court in 2001 directed all government-run schools to provide cooked meals to primary school children. Nationwide, the program feeds at least 110 million kids in 1.2 million government schools.

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the mid-day meal scheme. At this New Delhi school alone, some 1100 students line up for a free, hot lunch comprised of lentils, grains and vegetables in order to meet nutritional⁷ guidelines.

Serving up lunch on such a huge scale, however, is not without its challenges. Earlier this year nearly two dozen children died at one primary school in impoverished⁸ Bihar state. The principal allegedly ignored warnings that the mid-day meal smelled foul⁹ and insisted it be served. Lab tests found traces of highly toxic¹⁰ insecticide in the cooking oil, which had been stored in the principal’s home.

The head of the national mid-day meal program, Amarjit Singh, said the central government now is working with states to ensure all schools have a separate kitchen and storage area, the meals are tasted before being served, and cooks are properly trained.

“A cascade¹¹ model of training down the line on what are the nutritional components¹², how do you ensure safety, how do you ensure the food is tasted by a senior member before it is being fed to the kids, so those aspects - what is to be done - having an emergency plan if this happens,” said Singh.

Enforcing safety locally

Purnima Menon, a senior fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, said that although India’s mid-day meal program can be considered successful, the quality still depends on local schools. A 2010 study found problems, particularly in Bihar’s program, where the majority of students reported poor food quality.

“What is clearly needed is sort of a very clear articulation¹³ of what is the quality standard for every single school meal kitchen, for every single - whether it be the serving process or the preparation process,” said Menon.

Despite quality standards that vary from state to state and school to school, many kids like 12-year old Sahil Khan say they have no choice. They can’t learn on an empty stomach.    

“If you don’t eat properly, how can you concentrate?” asked Khan.

With increased scrutiny of the mid-day meal program, families hope their children will not risk their health each time they line up for lunch. 

1 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

2 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

3 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

4 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

5 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

8 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

10 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

11 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

12 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

13 articulation   

n.（清楚的）发音；清晰度，咬合

参考例句：

• His articulation is poor.他发音不清楚。
• She spoke with a lazy articulation.她说话慢吞吞的。