Mid-Day Meal cooks in Ganderbal protest for wage hike

Ganderbal, July 23: Scores of women working as mid-day meal cooks in government schools staged a protest in Ganderbal on Wednesday, demanding an immediate revision of their meager salaries and timely release of pending payments.The protestors expressed deep anguish over being paid just Rs 20, despite working from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM. “We are being exploited. Earlier, we used to get Rs 30, but even that has now been reduced by Rs 10 without any justification,” one of the protesting cooks said.“How are we supposed to support our families in this day and age with just Rs 20 a day? Even daily wage laborers earn several times more,” another woman lamented.The cooks also highlighted that their payments have been released only two to three times in the past several years. “This is not just about low wages — even the meager payments are delayed by years,” they said.The protesting women urged Education Minister Sakina Itoo to personally intervene and address their grievances. “We appeal to the minister to look into our plight and take immediate steps to revise our wages and ensure regular payments,” they said.