Mid-Day Meal Workers Demand Job Security, Pending Salaries

The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to hand over the school mid-day meal programme to the Akshaya Patra Foundation has triggered protests from women workers and labour unions, who fear the move will affect the livelihoods of thousands of DWCRA women employed under the scheme for more than two decades.

On Monday, workers met Visakhapatnam District Collector Abhishek Kishore and submitted a representation opposing the decision. CITU district secretary P. Mani alleged that the policy introduced by the government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu would leave many women without a stable source of employment .

The workers further alleged that their salaries have not been paid since January and claimed that cooking gas supplies were also stopped, worsening their financial difficulties.

Apart from employment concerns, the workers questioned the nutritional quality of food under the centralized kitchen system. They argued that locally prepared meals ensured fresh and hot food for students, while centralized cooking could affect both quality and monitoring. Concerns were also raised over the regular supply of essential items such as eggs and ragi malt , which are considered important for children’s health.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit organisation operating large-scale school meal programmes across the country, was recently appreciated by Droupadi Murmu for serving five billion meals nationwide.

Under the Centre’s PM POSHAN scheme, schools are required to maintain strict food quality standards and monitor meals before they are served to students. However, the implementation of these norms under the new system has now become a matter of debate.

While the government maintains that centralized kitchens improve hygiene and efficiency, affected workers continue to demand protection for their long-standing jobs, turning the issue into a growing social and political controversy.