Midday meal workers struggle to feed own families

As usual, midday meals have been bringing children back to school this academic year, providing a consistent source of nutrition. However, cooks and workers employed to make and serve these meals across the state have not received their honorariums since April this year.

Several schools have also not received budgets for buying vegetables. The state government has been shifting to public financial management system to disburse salaries directly to beneficiaries as per the Union government’s instructions. However, the premature shift, without a backup mechanism in place, has left workers in dire straits.

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With salaries ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 per month, workers who already suffer due to paltry incomes are doubly troubled because of the delay. The government had hiked salaries by Rs 1,000 this year. “However, even basic salary has not been paid yet,” said S Varalakshmi, a Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leader, who led protests against delays in payment.

“Schools generally employ widows, single mothers and people with disabilities to provide an avenue for income. Such delays are devastating for vulnerable sections,” said Prasadamma*, a midday worker from Ilkal, Bagalkot district. She has had trouble paying rent, let alone caring for her two children.

This is not just a one-time issue for the 1.2 lakh midday meal attendants and cooks. Last year, when honorariums were not paid on time for two consecutive months, a colleague was forcibly vacated from her home along with her children.

“We feed so many children in schools but cannot afford to serve food in our own homes,” said Prasadamma.

Sporadic protests had erupted across the state, including a large-scale stir at Freedom Park in Bengaluru in mid-August, demanding salaries on time.

Radamma*, a midday meal cook from Chikkaballapur district, feels that the government has no intention to keep the scheme alive. “The vegetable budget is usually transferred to the headmaster and head cook’s joint account. This, too, has not been transferred for the last three and a half months. This has forced teachers and administration to spend from their own pockets,” she said.

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Shifting to a public financial management system as per the directions of the Centre for direct benefit transfers led to some delay, according to Vishal R, Commissioner, Department of Public Instruction. “Until now, the department was mapping midday meal workers across the state, collecting bank details, linking them and linking it to Khajane II (an Integrated Financial Management system of the Government of Karnataka),” he said. The background work has now been completed and, “salaries, along with conversion cost allowances, will be processed within 10 days”, he said.

“Until the process is in place, they could have followed the old system. But there is no thought of what troubles the workers will face,” said Radamma.

(*Some names have been changed to protect privacy)