Think of midday meal workers not CM\'s breakfast scheme, Revanth tells KCR

Hyderabad: TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy lashed out at Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for the hasty launch of 'CM's Breakfast scheme" in government schools without paying attention to implementation of the mid-day meal scheme.

He said that the BRS government failed to clear the bills of midday meal agencies due to which they had stopped serving meals for the last one month. He accused Rao of stooping down to the level of playing politics even with school-going children in the name of the breakfast scheme.

In an open letter to the Chief Minister here on Saturday, Reddy said, "Lack of basic facilities in government schools, non-payment of bills to midday meal workers, non-payment of cooking maintenance expenses in accordance with the increased prices, non-supply of gas cylinders and cooking on firewood stoves is the way the midday meal scheme is being implemented. Even as it is plagued with several issues, Rao launched the breakfast scheme without addressing the existing issues."

If prices fluctuate, the government should correspondingly increase the budget, which has not been done. On top of that, making changes to the mid-day meal menu is putting a financial burden on the cooks, whose workload has also increased. Even though kitchens have been built, cooking is still being done under trees as the kitchens are congested and the buildings in dilapidated conditions. It is because of these that the meals are getting contaminated and students are constantly falling ill, Reddy said.

“Demands like release of enhanced salary, increase in budget for the new menu, release of pending bills, immediate payment of increased wages, including arrears as per GO 8, ID cards, and uniforms to workers and free distribution of essential provisions are not being heeded," Reddy stated.

“On the other hand, the management of Gurukul residential schools and welfare hostels has become deplorable. Nowhere is the food served according to the menu. Quality standards are not met. We have seen protests by students demanding for quality food,” Revanth Reddy said.

A budget should be allocated for the new menu, the Congress leader said.