Why Mid-Day Meal Workers Oppose Privatization In Assam

Mid-day Meal Workers in Assam are up in arms against the privatisation of the mid-day meals scheme for schools in the State and demanding better pay

- Nasreen Habib

As we went up the narrow steps into the CITU office in Chandmari, we were ushered into a room with no natural light, and could vaguely make out a group of middleaged women sitting on red plastic chairs, their brightly coloured mekhela-sadors and sarees adding warmth to an otherwise dull room. The women were randhonis (cooks) engaged under the Government’s Mid Day Meal Programme since 2005 and had gathered in Guwahati to protest against privatization and demand for better wages. This was not the first time they had gathered here from all over the State: Kamrup, Morigaon, Baksa and Udalguri.

Chitra Rajbongshi who works at the Milan Prathamik Vidyalaya in Kamrup explains: ‘In 2005- 2006, it was decided that we will get 30 paisa against every student we feed, but we did not receive the money. In 2007, the money was increased to 40 paisa but we still had not received any money. After we agitated and demanded our rights, it was increased to ₹ 1000 in December 2009. From then on, we had received 1000 rupees as ‘manoni’ for 10 months, as for two months, the schools are closed. Can you tell me how I should run my home on ₹ 1000? There has been no raise for almost 10 years. We want our wages to increase to 5000 rupees.’ In Kerala, cooks are paid ₹ 9, 500 per month, while in Tamil Nadu, they are paid ₹ 6,500 a month’. But in many other Indian states such as in Assam, they continue to be paid a pittance.

Non-Introduction of LPG Cylinders