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Unpaid for months, mid-day meal workers in Seoni, M.P., run kitchens on credit
Unpaid for months, mid-day meal workers in Seoni, M.P., run kitchens on credit Premium
“Kam hai paisa, kam hai dana, kaise khilaye bachchon ko khana,” is the slogan which workers are asked to raise when seeking for their delayed wages and ration allocations. Among them is Ramsingh Baghel, 69, who has headed a Sahayata Samoh (self-help group for school and anganwadi mid-day meals) in Banki village of Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district for over 15 years.
Mr. Ramsingh is responsible for the allotment of cooks in 20–25 schools and oversees the distribution of ration to schools and anganwadi centres. More than 50 women are associated with this self-help group for the preparation of mid-day meals in schools and supplementary nutrition at anganwadis.
Under the scheme, cooks are paid ₹6 per student at the primary level and ₹7 per student at the secondary level. Mr. Ramsingh's daughter-in-law, Asmita Baghel (name changed as requested by the person), who works as a cook in a government school, receives a monthly honorarium of ₹4,000. Mr Ramsingh is paid ₹8,000 per month for coordinating the programme.
However, payments have been pending for months. Anganwadi cooks have not received their honorarium for six months, while self-help group heads such as Mr. Ramsingh have been unpaid for a similar period. School cooks are owed two months' wages. In addition, ration supplies to both schools and anganwadi centres have not been released for the past six months.
For the past six to seven months, Mr. Ramsingh has been running the programme on credit. He says he has borrowed between ₹1 lakh and ₹1.5 lakh from local ration shop owners to keep supplies going in all 25 schools. “We all live in the same village. They know me, so they trust me..but every day someone comes asking for their money. What answer do I give them?,” he said.
In the absence of government supplies, Mr. Ramsingh has also been purchasing vegetables daily for schools and anganwadi centres, and arranging at least rice and dal for schools and centers, he told.
Mr. Ramsingh lives with one of his two sons who runs a small pan and tea shop in the village. His daughter-in-law works as a mid-day meal cook, and the household includes three grandchildren. While speaking to the family, Ms Asmita said, “₹4,000 is not enough for anything, even after working, I still have to depend on my husband's income. A single oil can cost ₹2,000 and lasts barely a month and a half. There is nothing left for children's clothes or other expenses.”
Even as wages and ration supplies remain pending, the Zilla Parishad has asked self-help groups to prepare special meals for students on January 26, on the occasion of Republic Day, Mr Ramsingh said. However, with resources severely constrained, this may not be possible.
While discussions around malnutrition and irregularities in the PM POSHAN scheme have recently focused on Madhya Pradesh, child rights activist and former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Shanti Sinha, said the problem is far more widespread. “This is not a Madhya Pradesh–specific issue. The deprivation of children's nutrition is happening across India,” Ms Shanta said.
Recalling earlier instances when videos highlighting lapses in the implementation of the mid-day meal programme surfaced from Madhya Pradesh, Ms. Sinha mentioned that PM POSHAN falls squarely under the purview of the NCPCR, particularly in terms of monitoring, compliance, and social audits. She said that the Commission is mandated to ensure that children's rights are protected.
Referring specifically to the Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur incident, Ms. Sinha questioned the decision to remove the principal, arguing that punitive action at the school level does little to address deeper structural gaps. Ms. Sinha added, “Despite the scheme's stated goal of holistic nourishment, children continue to be deprived of adequate and quality meals due to weak monitoring mechanisms and uneven implementation across states.”
However, she pointed out states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu that have consistently performed well in quality of meals provided in the mid day meals. “Their systems are stronger, better monitored, and more accountable, then why can not it happen in other states” Ms Shanta noted.
Mr. Ramsingh from Banki village, Bholaram from Sagar village, and several other self-help group heads and mid-day meal workers from Seoni district say they have repeatedly protested over pending wages. Demonstrations have been held outside the Seoni Zilla Parishad office and the District Collectorate, often with the support of SHG and mid-day meal unions, but without any response, they said.
“Everyone is frustrated. No one answers us,” said Ms. Kiran, a political party worker and general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in Madhya Pradesh.
Ms. Kiran and Mr Ramsingh said that union members, SHG heads and cooks have visited the Zilla Parishad several times seeking a resolution, but officials have cited delays in the release of funds by higher authorities. Mr Ramsingh said that they are told that ration supplies were shown as dispatched on January 7, but had not reached schools or anganwadi centres as of January 16.
He added that mobilising workers has been a challenge. “Everyone has the same problem, but it is difficult to unite them all and bring them repeatedly to the Collector's office or to Bhopal,” he said. He pointed out that workers attend the weekly Jan Sunwai every Tuesday, but return with assurances rather than timelines.
Mr. Ramsingh recalled that on one occasion nearly 50 cooks from the area went together to the Seoni Collectorate, but “There was no backing from political parties at the time and nothing came out of it.”
The issue is not limited to Seoni district, as Ms Kiran said, adding that mid-day meal workers and SHGs across Madhya Pradesh are facing similar delays in payments and ration supplies.
When contacted, the Seoni Collector's office said the matter was being handled by the Women and Child Development Department and shared the contact details of an official there.
Mr Larokar, an official with the Women and Child Development Department in Seoni, dismissed the matter as “not a big issue,” saying workers were “making it an issue.” He said delays were linked to the “registration of self-help groups, cooks and workers on a new GOI portal and that the process was taking time….All salaries will be released in two to three days,” he said, adding that ration supplies to anganwadi centres were being dispatched regularly.
The cooks and Self-help group heads and workers are now considering a large-scale protest, including a temporary suspension of cooking mid-day meals in schools until pending wages are cleared. Anganwadi meals, however, would continue, they said, citing concerns for young children and pregnant women.
Mr. Ramsingh said the authorities assured them in the Jan Sunwai (on January 20) that the payments will be done in 3-4 days. Previously, he and others were planning to initiate a protest if the payments were not made till the time of Jan Sunwai.
As on January 23, there have been no protests. Mr Ramsingh said: “If there is no solution after 3-4 days which has been promised, we will initiate the protest and stop cooking for schools.”
Published - January 23, 2026 06:45 pm IST
Source: TheHindu
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