PATNA, Aug. 6 -- The Bihar education department has prohibited the use of brinjal, lady finger or okra, leafy vegetables and cabbage in mid-day meals served at government schools during the monsoon, citing the higher risk of microbial contamination, officials said on Wednesday. Schools have instead been directed to use fresh, locally available vegetables and quality food ingredients, including rice, pulses, edible oil, spices, soyabean and gram, after verification, as part of a wider effort to strengthen food safety under the scheme, they added. Packaged food items must be checked for expiry dates, while food stocks should be stored properly to prevent damage from moisture. It also orders inspection of school kitchens and centralised kitchens to ensure hygiene and the supply of safe, fresh and nutritious meals. The scheme is implemented through school education committees as well as centralised kitchens operated by NGOs. The recent directive was issued by the mid-day meal directorate to all district education officers. In the order, Vinayak Mishra, director, Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme (formerly mid-day meal scheme) said special attention should be paid to cleanliness of school kitchens, storage rooms and centralised kitchens to prevent any food-related incidents. As a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident among children after eating the mid-day meal, the department further directed that meals prepared at schools and centralised kitchens must be tasted by cooks, headmasters and teachers before being served to students. Meals from centralised kitchens should be transferred to clean utensils at schools and stored in hygienic facilities, the order stated. It also directs education officials, district programme officers, managers and block-level resource personnel to closely monitor hygiene during school visits. The department said it received complaints from some districts regarding quality of meals being served. At least four major incidents involving children falling ill after consuming mid-day meals have been reported from Supaul, Saharsa, Nalanda and Madhepura districts in Bihar this year. The department warned that lapse in food quality or any untoward incident caused by negligence would invite disciplinary action, including show-cause notices, deduction of honorarium, transfer, suspension, departmental proceedings and removal from service....