20,000 mid-day meal workers threaten statewide strike over ‘insulting’ wages of Rs 900
SHILLONG, July 20: More than 20,000 mid-day meal workers in Meghalaya have threatened to shut down school kitchens statewide, labelling the central government’s 20-year-old monthly honorarium of Rs 900 an “insult” to the women feeding the state’s future.
The Cook-cum-Helper PM Poshan Association, Meghalaya, warned on Monday that it will stop implementing the flagship nutrition scheme if the Centre fails to immediately enhance wages. Addressing reporters, association adviser Khroo L Pariat highlighted that the Central share of the honorarium has remained unchanged for over two decades, leaving workers to survive on a pittance.
Currently, cooks and helpers receive just Rs 900 per month from the Centre for only 10 months of the year. While the Meghalaya government increased its state contribution to Rs 1,100 in 2022—bringing the total monthly take-home to Rs 2,000—the association argues this remains a “slap in the face” for the women who form the backbone of the rural education system.
The association has demanded that the Central share be raised to Rs 9,000, citing inflation and the 90:10 funding pattern reserved for Northeastern states.
The threat of a total walkout follows a recent meeting with the Union Finance Minister in Shillong. During that interaction, the Minister reportedly claimed that “legal issues arising from pending court cases” have delayed a decision on wage revisions—a line often viewed by labour unions as a bureaucratic tactic to stall long-overdue pay hikes. Despite appeals for patience from the Union Minister and state officials, the association’s leadership says the breaking point has been reached.
“We cannot survive on the Rs 900 provided by the central government,” Pariat said. He noted that while Meghalaya provides the highest state contribution in the Northeast, other regions like Kerala and Delhi pay their workers Rs 12,000 and Rs 8,000 respectively.
The 20,000 workers, mostly women in remote interior villages, are credited with maintaining school attendance and combating malnutrition in areas once hindered by insurgency. A strike would effectively kill the PM Poshan scheme in the state, placing immediate pressure on village councils and school authorities.
The association has now called on all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the region to take up the matter in the ongoing Parliament session before the kitchens go cold.
