Mid-day meal workers on Sunday staged a protest outside the office of cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora, demanding a hike in their monthly honorarium.
The workers, who currently receive ₹3,000 per month — roughly ₹100 per day — have long been urging the state government to double the amount, citing rising inflation and increasing financial distress.
“These mid-day meal workers get just ₹100 per day. How can anyone call this meaningful employment in today’s inflationary times?” asked Sukhwinder Singh Leel of the Democratic Mulazim Federation, who led the protest.
The protesters were unable to meet the minister and instead submitted a memorandum of demands to his personal assistant.
Apart from seeking a salary hike, the workers expressed resentment over being assigned duties beyond their mandate.
“They are appointed to cook and serve meals to schoolchildren. However, due to the shortage of Class IV employees in schools, these women are also being made to sweep premises, clean toilets and perform peon duties. This amounts to exploitation,” Leel said.
The memorandum also demanded recruitment of Class IV staff and sought priority consideration for mid-day meal workers in future hiring.
“They have served for years despite receiving a paltry honorarium. They deserve fair wages and opportunities for career advancement,” he added.
Addressing the gathering, Leel alleged that the Punjab government had made several promises to different sections before coming to power but had failed to fulfil them. He said widespread dissatisfaction was pushing various groups to protest.
The workers warned that if the government fails to address their demands in the upcoming state budget to be presented in the vidhan sabha, they would intensify their agitation.
