Midday meal workers in the State, who earn ₹2,600-₹2,700 per month, say they have not been paid their meagre wages for the last few months. Though various organisations, including Karnataka State Akshara Dasoha Employees’ Association, have repeatedly written to the State government requesting them to release their wages, it has not yielded any results.
Siddamma Kalgudi, a midday meal worker from Hungund of Bagalakot district, said that they have not been paid for April and May as schools were closed. “This year, we were expecting to be paid from June at least. But we have not been paid even that,” she said adding that it was the moral responsibility of the government to pay wages of April and May due to the unprecedented COVID-19 related restrictions.
Another midday meal worker said many of them had even worked as cooks at isolation centres set up for people suspected to have COVID-19. “We also distributed foodgrain kits to students. But our services have not been recognised.”
Malini Mesta, general secretary of the association, pointed out that the government had neither paid miday meal workers for the last few months nor provided any lockdown relief compensation.
S. Varalakshmi, honorary president of the association, added that many midday workers were the sole breadwinners in their families. “Around ₹30 crore per month would suffice to pay the wages of midday meal workers. Can the government not afford ₹30 crore a month for the benefit of around 1.18 lakh people across the State,” she said.
Midday meal workers who The Hindu spoke to demanded that even they be recognised as “full time labourers” so that they are eligible for minimum wage. “We should also be provided service security and get health and pension benefits,” they said. They also demanded that the government provide them with ration for at least six months.
