HYDERABAD: Rising egg prices and inadequate reimbursement from the Telangana government have once again put the mid-day meal scheme in government schools, particularly in districts, under strain.
Workers have decided to reduce egg supply from three days a week to just one unless the government revises the reimbursement amount or directly supplies eggs to schools.
Under the scheme, the government reimburses only Rs 6 per egg, while the market price has increased to Rs 8.50-Rs 9. The price gap has forced agencies and workers who prepare meals for students in government and local body schools to bear the additional cost.
Workers in some schools across districts have started providing bananas or biscuit packets instead of eggs. Some schools are planning to introduce egg substitutes from next week if the situation remains unchanged.
Mid-day meal workers warned that the issue could soon affect government schools in Hyderabad as well if the reimbursement is not increased.
Lalita, a mid-day meal worker at a government school in Rangareddy district, said, “Workers have been managing the deficit from their own pockets for months. We buy eggs for Rs 8.50-Rs 9 each, but the government pays only Rs 6. We cannot continue like this. If nothing changes, we will have to stop serving eggs.”
Another worker, Padma, who cooks for more than 80 students at a government primary school in Sangareddy, said workers often borrow money from local shopkeepers to ensure children do not miss their meals.
“Children expect eggs on the scheduled days. We somehow manage because we do not want them to go without nutritious food. But every week, our losses are increasing. We are worried about how long we can continue,” she said.
Saraswathi, a cook from Medak district, said the reimbursement has remained unchanged despite repeated increases in egg prices.
“The prices of vegetables, cooking oil and eggs have all gone up. Our honorarium is already low, and now we are having to fund the scheme from our own earnings. We are under immense financial pressure,” she said.
Speaking to TNIE, Telangana Mid-Day Meal Workers Union general secretary SV Rama said the union had submitted representations to the School Education Department demanding an immediate revision of the reimbursement.
“The government should either increase the reimbursement to at least Rs 10 per egg in line with market prices or procure and supply eggs directly to schools, as is done in Anganwadi centres. We faced a similar issue in November last year as well. Workers cannot continue bearing these losses. If the issue is not resolved, egg supply in schools across the state is likely to be affected,” he said.
