The midday meal workers’ union in Meghalaya has expressed positive feelings after meeting with the central government Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy in New Delhi recently over the union’s various demands.
The demands relate to an enhancement of honorarium and use of cooking gas instead of firewood in the midday meal schools.
The union representatives told Sanjay Kumar that the state government has increased its share of the honorarium paid to the workers to Rs 1,100 per month but the central government’s share has remained stuck on Rs 900 per month for several years now.
The union has requested that the Centre consider an increase to Rs 5,000 per month. Currently the workers are also only paid for 10 months in a year – they are requesting that this be extended to a full 12 months.
The workers also want a switch to LPG from firewood for health and environmental reasons.