KCR responsible for disruption of midday meal scheme: Bandi Sanjay Kumar

Hyderabad: State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Monday demanded Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to immediately release five months' pending bills to the midday meal workers. He said KCR's unilateral decisions would bring the implementation of midday meal scheme in the State to a grinding halt. "About 20 lakh school children will be forced to go hungry," he said.

"The workers have been appealing for enhancement of honorarium for several years. However, the CM has not responded to it, which is unbecoming of his post," he charged, adding that the CM's negligent and dictatorial attitude was make over 20 lakh children go hungry.

The Karimnagar MP further added, "KCR has been claiming that school children in Telangana have been consuming the same quality of rice that his children were consuming. But, how will he justify making children go without food?" he sought to know. He also demanded the government to immediately resolve the problems of meal workers by enhancing their honorarium.

He alleged that Telangana government was the only government that was paying meagre to these workers than any other State governments in the country. The MP claimed that the Centre meets 100 per cent expenditure incurred on foodgrains and their transport under the meal scheme. "Besides, 60 per cent of the honorarium to the workers is paid by the Centre. Against this backdrop, several States have enhanced the honorarium to the workers with their own funding," he said.

The Education department had sent proposals for increasing the honorarium; but the CM had not taken any decision, Bandi pointed out.