Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh on Sunday said that besides men, the members of Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been entrusted with the responsibility of preparing food on priority basis under Midday meals programme for schools in the State.
“One would not find the love and compassion in the expensive food served in the hotels, which one can get from the food prepared at home with the hands of a mother,” the Chief Minister commented while addressing at the day-long convention and felicitation programme of Chhattisgarh State Midday Meal Cooks Welfare Federation at BTU Ground near Shankar Nagar in the city.
Singh said that “the persons who prepare meals for lakhs of children under the Midday Meal programme are like our mothers who prepare food with love and compassion.”
“The work you are doing is connected to health of school children. This is a noble deed. The successful implementation of this biggest programme had been possible because of the contribution of the brother and sister who cooks the Midday meals,” the Chief Minister said.
The contribution of cooks in the programme had helped push up enrolment and attendance of children in schools in the state, which is commendable, he said.
“The State government had written to the Centre for enhancing the honorarium of the cooks but even before that, the State already had hiked it by Rs 200,” Singh said.
Talking about various welfare schemes of the State government, Singh said that the Government has plans to provide health insurance to 56 lakh families in the State.
He said that under the health insurance scheme, the families can receive free medical treatment up to a maximum of Rs 30,000 by using a ‘Smart Card’ being issued under Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme.)
The Chief Minister was felicitated by the office-bearers of the Federation for hiking the monthly honorarium of the cooks from Rs 1000 to Rs 1,200 from April 1 next by weighing him with ‘laddus’ at the convention venue.
“This would be the first scheme in the country which would not have any ‘income rider’ to participate. The cooks working under Midday Meal programme would also be covered under the programme as beneficiaries. The work of issuing ‘smart cards’ for the scheme had already commenced,” he said.
Singh said that the State Government had also decided to offer 50 days of extra work to the workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
“Under the scheme, instead of 100 days, the workers would now be given work for 150 days,” he said. Minister for School Education and PWD Brijmohan Agarwal said that the Midday meal programme had been running under the leadership Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh and the contribution from cooks was better than other states in the country.
Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Warehousing Corporation Ashok Bajaj, Member of Chhattisgarh State Backward Classes Commission Mamta Sahu and former Minister Kriparam Sahu were present on the occasion as special guests.
The chief guest and the special guests were felicitated by President of Chhattisgarh State Midday Meal Cooks Welfare Federation Yashoda Sahu and Convenor Mohammed Khalid and other office-bearers.