Karnataka Minister for Primary & Secondary Education Suresh Kumar has written to Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal drawing his attention to the plight of mid-day meal workers and requesting him to increase the wages of cook cum helpers working under the scheme.
The current wages given to them is Rs 1000 with 60:40 centre and state cost-sharing respectively
" Though the centre is releasing Rs 600 as their share per cook cum helpers all these years, the state government has raised the honorarium of head cook and assistant cook to Rs 2700 and Rs 2600 respectively. Presently, 46,748 cooks and 71,159 assistant cooks are working under mid-day meal scheme and are protesting, boycotting their work quite often," Kumar said in the letter dated March 7.
He added," They are demanding an increase in their honorarium to Rs 6000 for head cook and Rs 5000 for assistant cook due to increase in cost of living as they are unable to meet their daily livelihood expenses from the amount currently being paid."
He said that he felt the demands are just and reasonable and requested the Centre to increase their honorarium and provide 60 per cent of the increased wages from the central government, to meet their demand. He said Karnataka is ready to share the remaining amount.