Shillong:
The honorarium payment for the All Jaiñtia Mid Day Meal Workers Union (Central body) has been enhanced from the state share to Rs 1100 per month from Rs 100 per month and it will be applicable from April 2022.
In a statement, the union said they met Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Wednesday and expressed their gratitude saying that the earlier honorarium was a meager amount of Rs 100 per month and had been in place for over 20 years.
The union has requested the government to release the money that it promised to do so from April last year.
With the increase in the honorarium from the state, the total honorarium for the 18000 cook cum helpers comes to Rs 2000 per month for 10 months (Rs 900 from the Center and Rs 1100 from the state government).
The union has also requested the minister to deliver LPG cylinders and water to school kitchens which will be utilized by the cooks and helpers instead of using firewood.
With the hike in the state share, the union has requested the Education minister to apprise the Central government on hiking the honorarium from the Centre for all the cooks and helpers in the Northeastern Region especially for Meghalaya, which has of late witnessed inflation.
The union has also discussed with the minister granting sick days to cooks and helpers.
The Mid Day Meal Scheme (renamed as POSHAN scheme) launched in 1995, is a school meal programme with the purpose to provide better nutrition to school children nationwide.
Sharing the cost of the POSHAN scheme, the Centre provides a 60 per cent cost-share while the state has a 40 per cent cost share.