Cooks in education department protest in Shopian, demand hike in wages
Shopian: Cooks working under the Education Department in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday staged a protest, demanding an immediate hike in their honorarium and regular release of pending wages.
The protesting cooks, who are part of the Mid-Day Meal scheme, gathered at Shopian and raised slogans against what they termed as “apathy of the authorities” towards their long-pending demands.
“We are working tirelessly in schools throughout the year, yet we are paid just Rs 1,000 per month, that too for only nine months. Even this small amount is released after long delays,” said Raja Begum, one of the protesting cooks.
Another cook, Farida Akhter, said that the honorarium they receive is not enough to meet even the basic needs of their families. “Our children are studying in schools where the tuition fee runs into thousands, but we get just Rs 9,000 a year. How can a family survive on this?” she asked.
The cooks stressed that despite contributing significantly to the welfare of children through the Mid-Day Meal scheme, they have been neglected for years. “We are treated as if our work has no value. We demand that our wages be increased immediately and released on time,” said Ghulam Hassan, another protestor.
The protesting cooks appealed to the government to consider their plight on humanitarian grounds and address their grievances without further delay.
