Mid-Day meal workers oppose handing over work to NGO

BY OUR STAFF REPOPRTER

GUWAHATI, May 11: The All Assam Mid-Day Meal Workers’ Union has taken objection to handing over the task of preparing and distributing midday meals to children in schools in Assam to Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, union general secretary Chitra Rajbongshi questioned the propriety of assigning the job to the NGO when they (workers) were doing it successfully without any problems for several years now.

“By doing this the government is planning to retrench over 1 lakh workers currently engaged in the scheme,” Rajbongshi said.

The Union earlier had staged several rounds of protests in Guwhati in support of its various demands, including release of outstanding honorarium of its members. They have also demanded enhancement of honorarium.

 While lamenting the government’s new policy on midday meal, she said instead of fulfilling our demands , Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the Assembly on Tuesday that the government was contemplate ting to hand over the distribution of midday scheme to an NGO, Akshay Patra Foundation.

She said that thousands of midday meal workers will lose their jobs due to this policy of the government. The union will stage a road blockade on May 20 against the decision.