Bettiah: Students of the ANM Training School hostel at the sub-divisional hospital in Bagaha staged a protest on Thursday, alleging poor quality food and inadequate drinking water facilities. The demonstration, marked by thali-banging, saw two students faint during the agitation.Agitating trainees raised slogans against the mess management, accusing them of serving stale and substandard food.ANM trainee Amrita Kumari said, “Jeevika didis and the mess management have been consistently serving rotten and poor-quality food in the hostel mess, due to which several students fall ill every day. Despite the extreme heat, with temperatures touching 41°C, there is no proper arrangement for safe drinking water in the hostel.”Doctors at the sub-divisional hospital confirmed that two students lost consciousness during the protest. Dr Chandan Kumar said, “Both students who fainted during the protest were given primary treatment.”ANM Training School principal Shirish Verma acknowledged the issues raised by the students, stating that around 40 trainees reside in the hostel and their meals are managed by Jeevika workers.“There is neither proper hygiene in the mess nor is nutritious food provided. Even when a trainee falls ill and asks for khichdi, it is not made available. Despite repeated complaints, no improvement has been seen, forcing students to protest,” Verma said.Jeevika block project manager Vinod Kumar said the complaints have been taken seriously. “We have received the students’ complaints. A district team will visit tomorrow, and all the demands raised by the students will be addressed,” he said.
