CITU lambasts Assam govt decision to privatise mid-day meal

The decision was 'arbitrary and unjustified' and 'smacked of anti-people policy' as it amounted to depriving 1,00,350 poor women workers who were engaged as cooks under the scheme from its benefits, CITU state unit organising secretary Mukund Teli said here yesterday.

The women workers engaged in cooking the meals for children in primary schools since 2005 when the scheme was implemented in the state, he told a meeting of CITU Cachar-Hailakandi district unit workers here yesterday.

"Instead of their services being regularised, the women now face an uncertain future," he observed and claimed that they were also yet to receive the state's share of 10 per cent payment of their monthly Rs 1000 salary as fixed by the Centre in 2009.

In 2010 the state government had decided to hand over implementation of the scheme to private organisation Akshaya Patra Foundation and the final shape was given on December 7, 2012 to begin it in a phased manner, Teli added.