Kudumbasree Janakeeya Restaurant workers are on the warpath demanding early distribution of the subsidy offered by the government for daily lunch. Those managing Janakeeya restaurants have to get the subsidy of many months.
They have formed an action committee and will stage a symbolic begging protest in front of the collectorate here on Monday afternoon. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) district secretary P. Abdul Hameed, MLA, will inaugurate the protest.
According to action committee chairperson P. Lakshmi, the government owes Janakeeya restaurant owners more than ₹6 crore in arrears towards the subsidy for lunch. She said many Kudumbashree workers who turned to Janakeeya restaurants were in debt as the government stopped giving subsidies.
The government had given a subsidy of ₹10 for a mid-day meal each in order to promote Janakeeya restaurants for the benefit of ordinary people. However, Ms. Lakshmi said many Janakeeya restaurateurs did not get their subsidy for more than one-and-a-half years. She added that they had no choice but to launch an agitation to get the arrears due to them.
However, Kudumbashree officials said efforts were on to distribute the subsidy arrears soon. They said those restaurateurs who had submitted complete accounts had been given their subsidy until October last year.
