YS Jagan alleges Govt threatening livelihood of mid-day meal workers

Metro India News | AMARAVATI :

YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused the Andhra Pradesh government of jeopardizing the livelihoods of nearly 85,000 women engaged in preparing mid-day meals in government schools. In a strongly worded statement, Jagan alleged that the Chandrababu Naidu-led government was pushing thousands of long-serving workers into uncertainty under the guise of introducing Smart Kitchens.

He said many of the women have been working as mid-day meal cooks for nearly two decades and have depended on the scheme as their primary source of livelihood. However, instead of safeguarding their interests, the government was allegedly planning to replace them while favoring private interests through the Smart Kitchens initiative.

Jagan further alleged that the government had failed to pay the workers’ salaries for the past two months, leaving thousands of families in financial distress. He demanded that the pending wages be released immediately and urged the government to honor its election promises by increasing their salaries instead of discontinuing their services.

Recalling the measures taken during the previous YSRCP government, Jagan said the honorarium for mid-day meal workers was increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 soon after his government assumed office. He claimed that the present government had promised to do more for the workers before the elections but was now pursuing policies that threatened their employment.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the Smart Kitchens model was being implemented at the cost of poor women who had served government schools for years. He said the move would not only deprive them of their livelihoods but also create hardship for thousands of economically vulnerable families across the state.

Assuring support to the affected workers, Jagan said the YSR Congress Party would stand firmly with them and continue to fight for their rights. He reiterated his demand that the government immediately clear all salary arrears, protect the jobs of existing mid-day meal workers, and fulfil its commitments by enhancing their remuneration instead of replacing them.