Raising concerns over the "meagre salaries" paid to cook-cum-helpers working under the centrally sponsored 'Mid Day Meal' scheme, CPI national secretary D Raja called it a matter of national shame and demanded their pay be hiked.
Addressing a rally of Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme workers organised by eight different trade union bodies at Jantar Mantar here, Raja said there are about 26 lakhs MDM workers at the grass root level and 98 per cent of this work force are women.
The scheme was launched on August 15, 1995, and covered under the National Security Act, 2013.
"It is a matter of national shame that the Mid Day Meal workers are paid only Rs 1,000 per month and that too for only ten months a year," Raja said.
The objective of the scheme was to boost universalisation of education by increasing enrolment, retention and attendance and improving the nutrition levels of students. In 2001, the Supreme Court had made it mandatory for the government to provide cooked meal to all children in primary schools.
"Working around six to eight hours a day including in the preparation, actual cooking and distribution of foods, cleaning the vessels and premises etc, they are not even recognised as workers and not paid minimum wages," he alleged.
The demands of All India Federation of Mid Day Meal Workers included minimum wages of Rs 18,000 per month, implementation of the recommendation of 45th and 46th Indian Labour Conference, to give them 'worker' status, ensuring social security and recognise the mid day meal workers as the fourth grade employees among others.
On Monday, a six-member delegation led by D Raja, the Rajya Sabha MP, met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and handed over a memorandum with demands of mid day meal workers to him.
According to the delegation, the Finance minister responded positively and promised them of an increase in monthly wage of the MDM workers at the earliest.
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