Mid-day meal workers likely to get a pay hike

Karam Prakash

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Tribune News Service 

Patiala, November 6

The state government today accepted the long-pending demand of 43,000 cook-cum-helpers that they should be paid Rs 3,000 per month under the Mid-day Meal (MDM) Scheme. The proposal has been sent to the Finance Department for final approval.

Currently, mid-day meal cook-cum-helpers are getting a meagre monthly salary of Rs 1,700 — despite working for four to five hours every day. In a letter to all the District Education Officers (DEO), referring a meeting which took place on September 30, the Education Department has already accepted the demand of hike.

Apart from this, the state government has also decided to pay the mid-day meal cooks for the 12 months in a year. Notably, earlier, owing to the summer holidays in the schools, the mid-day meal cook workers would get salary only for 10 months in a year. Harjinder Kaur Lopey, state president, the Democratic Mid-day Meal Cook Front, said it was difficult for them to run their houses with the meagre salary.

Parveen Sharma, general secretary, Mid-Day Meal Workers’ official staff union, said, “It was our long-pending demand to hike the pay, however, nothing had been done by the state government. It is difficult to run a house on this meagre salary of Rs 1,700 which amounts to Rs 60 per day. Therefore, the finance department should clear the file without any delay.”

The proposal has not been accepted by the Finance Department until now. The Education Department has decided to give life insurance to the workers. The mid-day meal cook will get a minimum life insurance of Rs 2 lakh for their safety. Workers have been asked to get themselves enrolled under a new scheme by the HDFC Bank.