Midday Meal workers
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 16 2018:
Midday Meal Workers' Union, Manipur has demanded the State Government to discuss the honorarium issues of the Midday meal workers during the State Assembly session.
Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club today, the union's president Y Indrani Devi said that there are around 6000 midday meal cooks in the State and these cooks play a huge role in providing nutritious meals to the students of numerous primary, upper primary schools of the State.
However, the honorarium of the midday meal cooks have not been paid for the last 13 months and even the said honorarium is only Rs 1000 per month, she said.
She informed that the union submitted memoranda to the CM and the Education Minister on August 31, last year regarding the issue.
The union even submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister on November 10 ,last year.
Claiming that local dailies published reports of the State Government sanctioning Rs 12 crore to the School Education Department for mid day meal programme, Indrani alleged that no tangible actions have been taken up till date and the inaction of the authority concerned is akin to killing the workers who work tirelessly to provide mid day meals to the students.
If the State Government fails to bring up the issue of the pending honorarium of the mid day meal workers during the Assembly session, the Union will launch various forms of agitation, she warned.
Indrani also informed that the mid day meal workers had vowed to cease work until the pending honorarium are paid, but the union has been getting reports of some workers resuming work due to alleged threats by the respective school's Headmaster.
She said that the union will visit the reported school/establishment and issue proper warning to those involved.
Indrani mentioned that the union had also submitted a memorandum to the CM on January 17, demanding at least Rs 18,000 per month for the workers as per the all India scheme workers initiative, proper social security for the workers, a pension of at least Rs 3000 per month etc, but no action has been taken till date.
Demanding the authority concerned to provide the pending honorarium at the earliest and to fulfil the demands of the union, Indrani warned that the Union and the workers will take up numerous agitation if the authority fails.