Online attendance mandate for mid-Day meal workers dropped

In a move welcomed by the Himachal Pradesh Mid-Day Meal Workers Union, the Directorate of School Education has exempted mid-day meal workers from marking online attendance. This decision, announced through a notification issued by Director Ashish Kohli, follows concerns raised by the workers about being forced to mark attendance online via swift chat.

The notification clarified that since the cooked food needs to be served hot and lunch time occurs in the middle of the day, it was impractical for workers to mark attendance online. As a result, they are now permitted to sign the attendance register instead.

The Mid-Day Meal Workers Union expressed gratitude for this decision but also highlighted ongoing challenges. The union demanded timely payment of salaries, citing that workers in many education blocks face delays of up to two to three months. Often, salaries are not paid in a single installment, creating severe financial hardships for the workers. They have urged the Directorate to ensure full salaries are paid on the first of every month without delays.

The union has warned that if these demands are not met, an action plan for protest will be decided at their conference in Shimla on June 14 and 15.