(a) whether the Government has taken note of the fact that wages of Mid Day Meal (MDM) workers differ from State to State and if so, the details thereof along with the wages given to MDM workers across the country, State/UT-wise;
(b) the steps taken by the Government to increase the wages of MDM workers; and
(c) whether the Government proposes to bring Private Public Partnership mode in MDMs in all States so as to ensure a better delivery of service and if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SH. PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)
(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the table of the House.
Statement referred in reply to parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 353 for 27.03.2017 raised by Shri Om Birla and Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi regarding Wages of Mid Day Meal Workers.
(a) & (b): The cook-cum-helpers (CCHs), engaged under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) for preparing and serving mid day meals at schools, are honorary workers who have come forward for rendering social services. In recognition of their services, the CCHs are paid honorarium, and not wages. The honorarium paid is Rs.1000 per month for 10 months in a year. The honorarium expenditure is shared between the Central Government and States/UTs in the ratio of 60:40 for non-NER States, 90:10 for NER and 3 Himalayan States viz. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand and 100% for UTs. The State Governments/UT Administrations may also supplement the honorarium by providing additional funds from their own resources; and several States/UTs have done so, as in Annexure.
(c) MDMS Guidelines issued in 2010 provide for engaging Voluntary Organisations/Non- Government Organisations (NGOs) for cooking/supply of mid day meal. The Guidelines provide for centralized kitchen for a cluster of schools in urban areas, where there is a space constraint for setting up school kitchens in individual schools so that cooked hot meal may be transported under hygienic conditions through reliable transport system to various schools. Operations of these centralized kitchens may be entrusted to reputed NGOs under the PPP model. During 2015-16, 314 NGOs were engaged by 17 States/UTs in 127 districts for providing Mid Day Meal to 72,19,889 children studying in 42,383 Schools.