In yet another incident related to apathy in Midday Meal scheme, a toilet built under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district was being used as a kitchen to cook food for the children.

A toilet at an Anganwadi centre has been converted into a full-fledged kitchen with LPG cylinder and earthen stove for preparing the midday meal for children.

Some cooking utensils were also found to be stacked over the toilet seat. The meal is cooked here regularly and served to the children as well.

What's even more shocking is to hear Madhya Pradesh Minister Imarti Devi's reaction to the incident. The minister claims that there is ''no problem'' in cooking food inside a toilet if a partition exists between the toilet-seat and stove.

"You should understand that a partition exists there, these days even in our homes we have attached latrine-bathroom. What if our relatives refuse to eat in our house saying that we have attached latrine-bathroom?" asks Imarti Devi.

"Utensils can be kept on the bathroom seat. We keep utensils in our houses also. The pot is unused and is filled with gravel," she said.

"An inquiry would be conducted in the case," she added. When confronted over the issue, Devendra Sundryal, district officer, Women and Child Development program, said that action will be taken against the Anganwadi which had taken control of toilet. They have been using the toilet as a temporary kitchen, he said, adding that action will also be taken against Anganwadi supervisor and workers involved in it. Two such cases were also reported in Badarwas when grocery stores and kitchens were converted into toilets built inside the houses of some people. Because of the lack of water in the village, the toilets were made with governments help, but it was not used for defecation.