There has not been a single school that has reported that children who ate the mid-day meal fell sick, and this is because we work from the heart.
– PM POSHAN workers
Shillong, Oct 9: The cook-cum-helpers running the PM POSHAN scheme in Meghalaya have decided to work only once a week in October and November in protest against low wages and “voluntary” tag.
They also threatened to quit the service altogether if their grievances are not addressed by February next year.
“For 20 years, we have walked this service. We have worked for the society through the school children. We request the Prime Minister to look towards us,” Union of Cook-cum-Helper PM POSHAN Meghalaya president Gina Nengnong said at a meeting of the Union in Shillong on Friday.
She lamented that the cooks’ 20 years of service with dedication has brought them no recognition yet.
“We treat school children like our own children, we provide them food. Until now there has not been a single school that has reported that children who ate the mid-day meal fell sick, and this is because we work from the heart,” she said.
Challenging the voluntary worker status, she said, “It is no longer appropriate to call it voluntary. If we are sick, do they allow us to be absent? We have to go every day. If we send someone else, we have to pay from our own pocket.”
“This is the time we must stand up for ourselves. We want you to recognise us, to respect us, if you think we are the foundation of this scheme,” she said.
Nengnong said despite multiple letters, there has been no written reply from the Centre.
As an interim measure, cooks will cook once a week and help distribute rice to prevent wastage, while taking up other jobs to sustain themselves.
“We have no choice but to come out. Because the payment is honorarium, we too will go to work in that manner,” she said.
The Union will await a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Cabinet till February.
“We will wait for the Union Cabinet. In the second week of February, we will have a General Meeting to take the final decision. If we do not get a reply to increase the honorarium, we will announce to end it completely,” she said.
