At least 350 girl students have fallen ill after being given iron folic acid tablets on an empty stomach under a National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme in Assam's Sonitpur district today, a health official said.

The girl students of four schools at Gohpur and one at Tezpur were given the tablets to prevent anaemia under the NRHM scheme but they complained of stomach-ache, nausea and in some cases also vomiting, Sonitpur Joint Director of Health Dr Bharat Baruah said. "The girls, in the age-group of 10 to 18 years, were administered the tablet on an empty stomach which led to the problem but this was a temporary condition and not very serious," Baruah said before leaving for Gohpur.

The condition of two girls was slightly serious and they have been shifted to a hospital at Bishwanath Chariali, sources said. Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner Tapan Chandra Sarmah has also rushed to the affected schools which include Jatiya Vidyayala at Hawajan, Kolabari Higher Secondary School, Dubia Secondary school, Gohpur Girls Higher Secondary School and Collegiate High School near Tezpur.
All necessary medical treatment was being provided to the affected students, he said.

The tablets were supplied by a Himachal Pradesh based pharmaceutical firm and these are given to young girls to prevent anaemia, the sources said.