VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Sunday issued an order, increasing the monthly honorarium to midday meal workers across the State from existing 1,000 to Rs 3,000. The enhanced payment will be applicable from August, 2019 itself, benefitting 88,296 cooks and helpers.
Till now, the workers were being paid Rs1,000 per month, with 60 per cent of it being borne by the Centre, as per the norms set by the Union HRD Ministry. The move comes after YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had earlier promised to fulfil the demand of the workers.
K Jyothi, a worker at a municipal high school in Vijayawada city, said, “We welcome the State government’s decision to increase our honorarium from Rs1,000 to Rs3,000. However, we are yet to receive our pending salaries.”
The Commissioner of School Education was instructed to look into the expenditure for the enhanced pay from the budget provision of 2019-20.