Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 01:
Irked by the denial of their pending honorarium, cooks and helpers appointed under the Mid-Day Scheme locked the office gate of the ZEO Zone-I at Khoyathong indefinitely from today.
Following an agreement signed to the effect that their pending honorarium since the month of May last year would be paid, around 235 cooks and 235 helpers gathered at the office of the ZEO Zone-I.As they saw no sign of possibility of getting their honorarium till 2 pm, infuriated cooks and helpers locked up the gate and allowed no one to go inside or come out.
Talking to media-persons, president of All Manipur Cooks and Helpers Association, ZEO Zone-I Phuritsabam Amusana Devi charged Additional Director of School Education (Valley) S Geeta Devi, DI in-charge of Mid Day Meal Scheme M Bihari and Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) Th Somorendro with playing delaying tactics and denying the rights of the cooks and helpers.
On the other hand, publicity secretary of All Manipur Elementary School Teachers' Association S Gunamani Singh has informed that teachers have been facing lot of difficulties in ensuring that the Mid Day meal is provided to the children every day as the necessary food products has not been released since January 2006.