Tamil Nadu govt to provide free meals to Chennai sanitation workers, sanctions Rs 186 crore

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative sanction for Rs 186.94 crore towards providing free meals to the sanitation workers in the Greater Chennai Corporation for three years.

The move will facilitate the GCC to provide meals to about 29,455 conservancy workers, including staff working under the private contractors, at 512 locations, a government order issued by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department said.

The announcement comes close on the heels of prolonged agitation by the sanitation workers protesting against the privatisation of waste management operations in two zones under the GCC, and regularisation of jobs. The free meal scheme is among the six special welfare initiatives announced by the government on August 14.

The civic body will hire a catering agency on contract for three years to prepare food in designated kitchens. The meals prepared in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India norms, will be packed and distributed to the sanitary workers at their respective workplaces.

The total sanctioned sum for implementing the scheme for three years covered a 5 per cent cost escalation in the second and third years for preparation and distribution charges. The scheme will be implemented by the GCC using the grants from the Sixth State Finance Commission, the GO issued on October 14 stated.

A release from the government on October 23 said as per the guidelines in the GO, the GCC will appoint a project management consultant (PMC) to oversee the scheme and ensure quality and quantity control in food preparation, packaging, and distribution.

Emerging from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister M K Stalin on August 14, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu had said that this initiative would be rolled out first in Chennai and later extended to other parts of the state.