Thousands of mid-day meal workers in Haryana went on a successful strike independently for the first time. On the same day, thousands of workers reached Kurukshetra to participate in the mass protest, expressing their deep anger and resentment. The strike and mass protest were called by the Mid-Day Meal Workers Union Haryana (CITU). It is noteworthy that Kurukshetra is the home district of the Chief Minister of Haryana and houses his camp office.

SCHOOLS CLOSURE UNDER NEP AND CHIRAG SCHEME

After the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, hundreds of government schools are being closed or merged with other schools. As a result, thousands of mid-day meal workers have lost their jobs. Since the BJP came to power in 2014, around 5,000 schools in the state have either been closed or merged with other schools. Consequently, while there were around 35,000 mid-day meal workers in Haryana in 2016, their number has declined to 29,213 in 2026. This policy has not only deprived mid-day meal workers of their employment but it has also created a situation in which the right to education of children from poor families is likely to be seriously undermined.

Most of the schools closed under the NEP were girls’ schools. This is despite the BJP's slogan, “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter), which it has been promoting for nearly a decade. Another scheme of the BJP-led state government is the “Chirag Scheme,” which the state government is promoting on a large scale. Its effect is also to reduce the number of children enrolled in government schools. Under the scheme, the state government is encouraging students from BPL families to leave government schools and seek admission to private schools. The government has decided to bear the school fees of these children in private schools. Overall, this amounts to an assault on public school education. It is also part of what is alleged to be a larger plan of the BJP-RSS to deprive a large section of the population of access to education.

HIGH WORKLOAD, LOW WAGES, NO SOCIAL SECURITY

Workers employed under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme have been assigned the task of preparing lunch for schoolchildren. The Central and state governments claim that this requires only three to four hours work a day. However, the reality is different. Of the 14,299 government schools in the state, 8,678 primary schools have no sweepers, gardeners or security guards. So, mid-day meal workers are also made to perform these duties. In addition, the government has made provisions for serving hot milk to children in secondary and senior secondary schools. Thus, mid-day meal workers remain in schools for six to seven hours, completing this heavy workload, without adequate compensation.

Rising inflation has severely affected the economic condition of families, while the wages/honorarium of mid-day meal workers have not increased accordingly. In May 2022, the honorarium for mid-day meal workers was Rs 7,000, consisting of Rs 6,000 as the state's share and Rs 1,000 as the Centre's share. At that time, the minimum wage in Haryana was around Rs 10,068 per month. From April 1, 2026, it has increased to Rs 15,220. The wages/honorarium of mid-day meal workers should be increased in accordance with inflation. The workers are demanding Rs 26,000 per month. However, their remuneration should at least not be lower than the state's minimum wage of around Rs 15,200. At present, workers receive the honorarium for only 10 months of the year. This should be extended to all 12 months.

Other scheme workers in the state, including Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, chowkidars and sanitation workers, are being provided retirement benefits. mid-day meal workers, however, are being retired at the age of 60 years after working for 20–25 years, without receiving any retirement benefits. Similarly, maternity leave is provided without pay. Moreover, if a worker is injured or dies while performing her duties, no compensation is provided. This has caused widespread anger among the workers.

MASSIVE RALLY AND GHERAO

On August 4, thousands of women from across the state reached Kurukshetra to participate in the mass protest. After holding a public meeting, they took out a procession covering several kilometres through the city and gheraoed the Mini Secretariat for several hours. The meeting and protest were addressed by CITU and Mid-Day Meal Workers Union Haryana General Secretary, Jaibhagwan; Union State President Raj Rani; CITU State Working President Vinod Kumar; Secretary Sunil Dutt; Senior Vice-President of the Sarva Karamchari Sangh Haryana Jarnail Singh; President of the Haryana School Teachers Association Prabhu Singh; and State General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association Usha Saroha. The gathering was also addressed by Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union State President Roopa Rana; ASHA Workers Union State President Sunita; and Mid-Day Meal Workers Union leaders Sharbati, Om Prakash, Lal Devi, Satyawan, Gagandeep, Prakash Chandra and Sunita.

The speakers said that the BJP government is attacking the working class. They alleged that the labour of around one crore scheme workers across the country is being exploited by paying them meagre honorariums. They said that the government is handing over education and other public sectors of the country to big corporate houses. They alleged that by implementing the four Labour Codes, the government is pushing the country's working population into a situation of extreme insecurity and exploitation. They demanded that wages should be at least Rs 30,000 in accordance with the rising cost of living. If the work is permanent, then the employment should also be permanent. However, this principle is being violated on a large scale.

They further said that whether they are workers, employees, farmers or students and young people, the government is choosing the path of repression instead of resolving their demands. They alleged that government ministers and the Chief Minister are not engaging in dialogue, resulting in widespread resentment among working people. During the protest, Neetu, Nirmala, Sudesh, Somwati, Murti, Santosh, Kavita, Lalita, Sandeep, Anil, Om Prakash, Reena, Roshni, Shimla, and others also expressed their views.

CHIEF MINISTER TO MEET UNION

Under pressure from the movement, Deputy Commissioner Shri Vishram Kumar Meena held discussions with the Chief Minister's Office. A meeting has been scheduled for August 17, in Chandigarh, between a delegation of the union and Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini, along with senior officials of the concerned department, to discuss the workers' demands. The union has warned the government that the workers' demands must be resolved respectfully and satisfactorily on August 17. Otherwise, the mid-day meal workers will not hesitate to launch an even larger movement. Thousands of workers have also decided that mid-day meal workers will participate in large numbers in the Parliament March of scheme workers in Delhi on October 6, 2026.

MAJOR DEMANDS

1.        Increase in Minimum Wages: Raise the honorarium to at least the level of Haryana's minimum wage (currently Rs 15,220 per month), with the union demanding Rs 30,000 as the minimum monthly wage. Senior workers should receive higher honorariums.

2.        Honorarium for 12 Months: Extend payment from the current 10 months to 12 months and immediately release all pending dues from the Central Government.

3.        Direct Bank Transfer: Honorarium should be deposited directly into each worker's personal bank account by the 7th of every month, with all pending payments released together.

4.        Retirement Benefits: Workers retiring at the age of 60 should receive a retirement benefit of at least Rs 2 lakh, like Anganwadi Workers, ASHA Workers and Village Chowkidars.

5.        Uniform Allowance: Increase the annual uniform allowance from Rs 600 to at least Rs 2,000 for two uniforms and transfer the amount directly to workers' bank accounts.

6.        Compensation for Injury or Death: Provide medical treatment and Rs 50,000 compensation in case of accidents, and at least Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family in case of death.

7.        Ayushman Cards: Issue Ayushman Bharat health cards to all mid-day meal workers without charging any fee.

8.        Stop School Mergers and Closures: Withdraw the policy of merging or closing schools. Re-employ displaced workers or adjust them in nearby schools based on block or cluster arrangements.

9.        Paid Maternity Leave: Grant six months of paid maternity leave to Mid-Day Meal Workers.

10.      Implementation of the POSH Act, 2013: Ensure compliance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, establish Internal Complaints Committees in eligible schools, and make committee details public.

11.      Monthly Leave: Provide at least two paid leave days per month.

12.      Free Annual Medical Check-up: Ensure free annual health check-ups for all mid-day meal workers through the Health Department.

13.      Expansion of the Scheme: Extend the Mid-Day Meal Scheme to all students up to Class XII, and include children above four years of age in the scheme.

14.      ESI and PF Coverage: Bring all mid-day meal workers under the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF) schemes.

15.      Permanent Employment: Regularise all mid-day meal workers by granting them permanent employee status.