Most states and UTs advised Centre to hike midday meal workers' wages, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• 22 states and UTs have requested the Education Ministry to increase the honorarium for cooks and helpers under the PM-POSHAN scheme.
• Some States/UTs including Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh called for the amount to be enhanced to Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 per month.
• Chhattisgarh midday meal cooks are protesting for a wage hike from their current Rs 2,000 per month.
• The current monthly honorarium for midday meal cooks remains at Rs 1,000 in eight states/UTs, including Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Delhi.
• States/UTs have also requested an increase in the material cost for meals, extending the scheme to students up to Class 12, and providing breakfast.

Detailed Insights:

• The request for enhanced honorarium was made in response to the ministry's call for suggestions on improvements to the scheme before its extension beyond 2025-26.
• Some states like Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan, and Sikkim have suggested a minimum wage of Rs 400 per day, while Meghalaya and Tripura proposed Rs 8,000 per month, and Kerala asked for Rs 10,000.
• In some states, the monthly honorarium is significantly higher, such as in Tamil Nadu (Rs 4,100 to Rs 12,500), Kerala (Rs 12,000), and Puducherry (Rs 10,000).
• The Education Ministry has acknowledged the requests and is currently reviewing the matter, but the responsibility for the scheme's smooth functioning lies with the state governments and UT administrations.
• Chhattisgarh has been requesting an enhancement in the honorarium for cooks in annual meetings with the Centre in 2024-25 and 2025-26, but the requests were only "noted".

Key Concepts Involved:

• PM-POSHAN Scheme: A centrally sponsored scheme to enhance the nutritional status of school-age children.
• Honorarium: A payment given for professional services that are rendered nominally without charge.