Bhubaneswar: The All Odisha Midday Meal Cook-Cum-Helper Association has called off its protest following a successful meeting with School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond on Saturday evening.
The cooks and helpers, who had been staging a sit-in demonstration at Lower PMG Square in Bhubaneswar for several days under scorching heat, decided to withdraw their agitation after receiving assurances from the minister.
More than 20,000 women workers, many of whom have served for nearly 30 years, had gathered to press for long-pending demands related to their service conditions under the PM Poshan scheme. Minister Gond assured the association that formal appointment letters and identity cards would be issued to all cooks and helpers, providing them official recognition and identity at their workplaces. He also confirmed that their monthly remuneration would henceforth be paid regularly on the 10th of every month. However, no immediate decision was taken on increasing the current honorarium. To examine and resolve the remaining issues, including salary enhancement, the government will constitute a dedicated committee at the earliest.
The protesting women had highlighted several grievances, including the absence of appointment letters despite decades of service, payment for only ten months instead of twelve, delayed salary disbursement, pending arrears of three months, and the extremely low daily wage of Rs 80. They also demanded a monthly honorarium aligned with the government-fixed minimum wage of Rs 462 per day (equating to Rs 13,860 monthly), along with proper identity cards as a mark of social respect.
