Bandipora, June 15: Mid-Day Meal (MDM) cooks from several government schools in the Sonawari area of Bandipora district staged a protest on Saturday, demanding the immediate release of their long-pending wages.
The protesting cooks expressed deep frustration over months of unpaid dues despite their continued service under the PM-POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) scheme. They said the delay in payments has pushed many of them into financial hardship, even as they continue to serve children in schools.
Apart from demanding timely disbursal of their honorariums, the cooks also raised concerns over the meagre wages, lack of job security, and absence of basic social security benefits. Many of them urged the authorities to revise their monthly honorariums and provide them with official recognition and safeguards.
Appealing to the Education Department and district administration, the protestors called for urgent intervention to ensure regular and dignified treatment for MDM workers, who they said are essential to the success of school nutrition programmes in rural areas.