GUWAHATI, Nov 1: Protests by cook-cum-helpers earlier involved in preparing mid-day meals in government-run schools took to the streets today flaying the government’s decision to entrust NGOs and private kitchens to prepare food for students and demanding a rollback of the order that came into effect from today.
Cooks involved with the mid-day meal scheme protested under the banner of the All Assam Mid-day Meal Cooks Association. Protests were held across Assam amid allegations of inferior quality food provided by the NGOs and private kitchens in Hojai and Tinsukia with protesters clanging utensils during the protests.
“We demand of the government to take back the decision and hand us the responsibility of cooking food for school students under the mid-day meal scheme once again,” a cook-cum-helper said in Lakhimpur.
The protesting cooks and helpers also entered into heated arguments with police personnel and paramilitary troopers at various places.
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Amid the protests, Assam Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya said vested interest circles were fanning the protests claiming that the move will not affect the association of the cooks with the scheme.
“I cannot fathom why they are protesting. It has already been made clear to them that they will continue to remain associated with the scheme as volunteers as they had been in the past. The only difference will be that their work will now be reduced and they will only distribute food among the students,” Bhattacharya said.
The HRD ministry, incidentally, had decided to rope in private kitchens while cooks-cum-helpers, who were paid an honorarium by the government, would continue to assist with the distribution of meals provided by these private kitchens.
More than 25 lakh cooks-cum-helpers are employed in schools across the country.
