GUWAHATI, May 24 � In the backdrop of girl students suffering mild to severe side effects after taking iron tablets, the government has suspended this exercise, which was launched in the year 2007, for the coming 10 days till the assessment that the government has undertaken in this connection is completed.
The government is also contemplating to provide food supplement to the girl students before administering the tablet. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while addressing media persons here today, said that initial findings have confirmed that those students who suffered side effects after consuming iron tablet in Sonitpur had come to school in empty stomachs.
He further said that the iron tablets given to the girl students were approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
�We have issued the instructions to the schools in the form of booklets as how to administer the iron tablets and what would be the side effects. Even after that the school authorities failed to handle the situation arising out of some students falling sick. It is clearly mentioned by the experts that consumption of iron tablets will lead to side effects which is not fatal,� said Sarma.
It needs to be mentioned here that under this exercise of providing iron tablets, seven districts in the State have been covered and the target group is girl students reading in class IX and X. �The government will investigate into all the cases of side effects that have been reported so far,� said Sarma.
Meanwhile, AASU today lambasted the State Government holding it responsible for the incident. It will stage a demonstration across the State as a mark of protest on May 28.
