Mid-day meal workers affiliated to Karnataka Rajya Akshara Dasoha Noukarara Sangha have demanded payment of remuneration for April and May during which the lockdown was enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
A delegation comprising functionaries of the sangha submitted a memorandum to the office of Deputy Commissioner and CEO of the zilla panchayat in this regard on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Hanumakka, secretary of the sangha, said that as holidays would be declared for schools in April and May, the remuneration would not be paid for mid-day meal workers during this period. However, the workers eke out their livelihood during this period by working as cooks for marriage ceremonies and in food processing units. Owing to the lockdown this year, these workers could not find alternative employment at that time, she said.
Referring to the financial assistance extended by the State government recently to workers from the unorganised sector to compensate the loss of livelihood due to the lockdown, she said the State government should come to the rescue of even those mid-day meal workers who are facing miserable financial condition by providing them with remuneration for April and May.
In the memorandum, the workers have also demanded the regularisation of their jobs and strengthening the social security net for them.
