CPI (M) senior leader and MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has demanded immediate release of pending wages in favour of Contingency Paid Workers (CPWs) and Mid-Day Meal workers (MDM) working in School Education department since long.In a statement to KNS, Tarigami said that these workers have been working dedicatedly for longer periods getting meagre wages, which too are not paid to them for months together. He said that these workers face hardships for want of their wages and even logistic support is not made available to them for running the MDM in a true spirit. He said that the mid-day meal workers be provided pension and other social security benefits, besides made entitled to medical and washing allowances. Their services be brought at par with those of Anganwari workers and paid honraruim on their anology.
Constraints of financial allocations, lack of infrastructure, inadequate monitoring, managing system are responsible for the failure of this scheme, he said adding that despite assurances by the HRD Minsitry for increasing the allocations for the MDM scheme nothing concrete has been done to maximize its benefits for the school children and the MDM workers. There is need to increase the allocations as per the requirements and making it more transparent and pupil oriented.Demanding regularisation of eligible Contingency Paid Workers (CPWs) working in Education department since long, he said that till the same is done they should be paid regular wages @Rs.110/- per day as assured earlier by the government.The CPWs and MDM workers are being paid less than the normal wages, which is a gross violation of Minimum Wages Act and severe injustice with them. (KNS)