Midday Meal workers stage protest in city

Guwahati: Thousands of members of the All Assam Primary & Upper Primary Schools' Midday Meal Cooks/Helpers Association from across the State on Friday gathered at Khanapara here and staged a protest demonstration, styled as 'Sorkaror Nidra Bhongo Rally', in support of various longstanding demands.

The protest was scheduled to be held at the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) Directorate at Kahilipara, but the protestors were prevented from marching there by the police.

The association is demanding that remuneration of all Midday Meal cooks and helpers be increased from Rs 1,500 per month to Rs 9,600 per month. They are also demanding pension and medical benefits and opposing privatization of the Midday Meal scheme.

According to the protestors, they were receiving Rs 1,000 per month per head under the Central scheme and the previous State Government increased it by adding Rs 500 per month per head. However, they received this enhanced amount for only three months before it was stopped from May last year. Many of the workers have not received even the Rs 1,000 paid under the scheme since November last year.

A five-member delegation of the protestors later met Assam's Education Minister Ranoj Pegu later in the day.

Talking to The Sentinel, the association's advisor Trishna Nath informed that the Education Minister assured them that he would take necessary steps for increasing their remuneration after discussing the issue with the Chief Minister. Pegu also assured them that their arrear dues will be released within 15 days.

Further, Pegu said that the 1,18,998 Midday Meal cooks and helpers would be immediately included under the Orunodoi scheme. Any Midday meal worker who dies while in service would be get an insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh. A pension scheme would also be prepared for them along with grant of medical benefits, the Minister told the delegation.

The Minister also assured them that the Midday Meal scheme will not be handed over to the private sector, Nath said, adding that they have decided to suspend their agitational programme for the time being.

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