Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, April 7

Cooks working under India’s school meal program protested in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, demanding higher wages and regular payment, officials and participants said Monday.

The cooks, employed under the Midday Meal Scheme run by the School Education Department, gathered outside the district’s mini-secretariat to press for a monthly wage increase.

Haneefa Begum, who heads the cooks’ association in Bandipora, said workers are paid about Rs 900 a month for 10 months a year despite years of service.

“Sometimes we receive payments of Rs 2600 after two or three years, and at other times we are paid as little as Rs 80 to Rs 200 a month,” she said, calling the system unjust.

Protesters also alleged they were being asked to collect firewood from forests to cook meals for schoolchildren amid shortages of cooking gas. 

Begum said some workers had been threatened with dismissal if they did not comply or if protests continued.

“This is harassment. Those responsible should face action,” she said.

The cooks also criticised the government for failing to address their demands, including year-round pay and timely disbursement of wages.

The protest ended later in the day, with participants reiterating their demands for improved working conditions and compensation.