Women working for the mid-day meal scheme are up in arms against the government’s decision to rope in NGOs and private organisations to supply and serve food to the students of government schools.
At a round-table here on Tuesday, representatives of the Midday Meals Scheme Workers’ Union said that 80,000 women had been serving mid-day meal to the schoolchildren for the past 15 years. Extending support to the union, MLC Boddu Nageswara Rao said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who had promised one job for every home during elections, was focusing on removal of workers now.
“He was the one who had roped in DWCRA women into the meal scheme,” Mr. Rao said. Demanding that the government withdraw the decision, AIDWA State secretary K. Swaroopa Rani said the Centre also decreased the allocations to the scheme. In all, 25 lakh workers in the country were going to suffer as a result, she said. Ms. Rani urged the workers to lay a siege to the Collectorate in all the districts on June 19. She said several headmasters had already been asked not to engage mid-day meal workers when schools reopen as the NGOs were making arrangements to supply food.
‘Quality will suffer’
The union members said the NGOs that cook food in a common kitchen would not serve fresh food to children. The decision would affect the quality of food served to the students, they said.
Among others, the members of the union sought job security, minimum salary of ₹5,000, timely payment of salary, and proper kitchen sheds.
