Jammu, Mar 17: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday said that Cooks-cum-helpers employed under the PM POSHAN (Mid Day Meals Scheme) receive a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1000, in accordance with the guidelines and standards set by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
This payment is based on a cost-sharing model of 90:10, specifically for meal preparation, rather than for a full day’s work.
In response to a question posed by MLA Muzaffar Iqbal Khan during the Assembly session, the Minister responsible for school education reiterated that the honorarium for Cooks-cum-helpers is fixed at Rs. 1000 per month, following the established norms of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, with the same 90:10 sharing pattern for meal preparation.
The Minister noted that a request to increase the honorarium for Cooks-cum-helpers was raised during the previous Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting under the PM POSHAN scheme. However, this request was denied, with the explanation that the remuneration for these positions is standardized across the country and cannot be increased for any specific state or Union Territory in isolation.
The Minister also mentioned that the issue will be revisited in the upcoming PAB meeting. Additionally, it was noted that some schools have been established on land donated by landowners.
Previously, there was a provision for engaging land donors as casual workers under SRO 520, but this provision has since been discontinued. Consequently, there is currently no policy in place to offer employment to land donors. Nevertheless, the School Education Department is providing land compensation under the UT CAPEX BUDGET to address the claims of land donors in a phased manner, including those from the Thanamandi Constituency.
“The land was acquired for the construction of 574 school buildings in the Rajouri District, which includes 60 cases of land donations from the Thanamandi constituency,” the Minister stated.
