Midday meal workers demand payment of bills

Srikakulam: Despite submitting many representations, the State government failed to clear bills for midday meal workers in schools since October 2018. The state has 47, 574 government schools and 38 lakh students are availing the meals facility. In total, midday workers across the state are 88,226, who are being paid Rs 1,000 salary by the government and another 2,000 workers are working without regular salary.

Due to lack of funds allotment for midday meal, the workers are making alternative efforts by purchasing goods on credit basis. Locally, elders and public representatives and teachers are contributing to run the scheme at schools by expecting bills from government.

In Srikakulam also midday meal is being provided at 427 high schools, 584 upper primary and 2,240 primary schools. The government also failed to pay enhanced salary of workers from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 last year. Menu charges also enhanced 10 per cent every year but even those bills also not cleared so far.

“We have been requesting the officials for payment of bills regularly, but there was no response from government so far,” said Gunuru Varalaxmi, Midday Meal Workers Union (MWU) State president to The Hans India. Varalaxmi is working at government girls’ high school at Chodavaram in Visakhapatnam district as a worker.