Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will on Tuesday pay a visit to Muzaffarnagar where 126 children have died due to suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Kumar and his government have come under sharp criticism for having failed to curtail the continuous rise in the death toll.

According to a release issued by the district administration on Monday, 18 deaths were reported from the Kejriwal hospital and 85 from the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH).

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was in Bihar on Monday to monitor the health infrastructure and children currently receiving treatment in Muzaffarpur's government hospitals. He assured the families of all children of all the possible support.

Later, Vardhan reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting in New Delhi, which was attended by senior officers of the Health Ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research and the AIIMS.

Vardhan directed another high-level team to immediately visit the district and undertake necessary groundwork for the setting up of a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research centre, according to a statement.

On Monday, the Nitish-led government declared it will bear the treatment expenses of all encephalitis affected patients.

"The ambulance facility will be free of cost. If someone comes to the hospital in a private vehicle, the fare will be reimbursed to them," Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar told media persons.