CITU-affiliated Mid Day Meal Workers Union demonstrated strongly regarding their demands

CITU, related to the Mid Day Meal Workers Union, demonstrated strongly in the Assembly regarding the demands of the Mid Day Meal Workers. During this period, hundreds of mid-day meal workers from across the state participated in the rally. The rally started from Panchayat Bhawan and reached the Assembly where a public meeting was held. The public meeting was attended by CITU State President Vijendra Mehra, General Secretary Prem Gautam, Vice President Jagat Ram, Union State President Inder Singh, General Himi Devi, Balbindra Kaur, Indra, Sudesh, Kaushalya Preeti, Shanti, Balbindra Kaur, Meera, Jagdish, Sarita, Nirath, Virendra, Gurdas. Verma, Ajay Dulta, Rajesh Sharma, Ashish Kumar, Mohit Verma, Balak Ram, Kewal Kumar, Narendra Virudha etc. addressed. During this, a delegation of the union met Education Minister Shri Rohit Thakur and handed over the demand letter to him. He assured us to immediately fulfill the demands of the mid-day meal workers.

Vijendra Mehra, Prem Gautam, Jagat Ram, Inder Singh, and Himi Devi while addressing the rally said that the mid-day meal workers have not been paid salaries for the last five months. He has demanded that this payment should be made immediately. Despite the announcement of four thousand rupees by the state government, this announcement has not been implemented. He demanded a salary of seven thousand rupees on the lines of Haryana. As per the decision of the Honorable Himachal High Court and on the lines of the Punjab Government, salary should be given for 12 months instead of 10. The facility of 12 to 20 holidays should be provided on the lines of the Mid Day Meal of the Punjab Government and Anganwadi in Himachal. They should be given two uniforms in a year. Mid-day meal workers should be given priority in multi-task recruitment. They should be given extra pay for extra work. Like other staff in closed schools, mid-day meal workers should also be accommodated in other schools. The job-related condition of 25 children should be removed for them. They should not be made to cook food for the polling party during elections. Two mid-day meal workers should be compulsorily appointed in every school. As per the recommendation of the 45th Indian Labor Conference, mid-day meal workers should be given the status of laborers and they should be regularized.

Speakers said that the Modi government in the country is continuing its sharp attacks on the working class. As per the condition of the 45th Labor Conference, the Central Government is not implementing the scheme to provide laborers status, pension, gratuity, health, etc. facilities to the workers. The governments at the Center have not increased the salaries of mid-day meal workers by even one rupee since 2009. Modi government wants to hand over this scheme to corporate companies. This is the reason why the budget of this scheme is being continuously cut. The Modi government has hatched a well-planned conspiracy by changing the name of the Mid Day Meal Scheme to Pradhan Mantri Poshan Yojana and ending it. The government is starting Central Kitchen and DBT in the Mid Day Meal Scheme due to which layoff of Mid Day Meal workers is certain. The central government has come up with a new education policy, due to which there will be privatization on a large scale. By doing all this the BJP government wants to end the employment of mid-day meal workers. Many schools in the state have been closed and many mid-day meal workers have been thrown out of their jobs.