Kerala Government Allocates Rs 50.12 Crore for Midday Meal Cooks’ Honorarium

The Kerala government has recently sanctioned a sum of Rs 50.12 crore to compensate midday meal cooks for their services over the course of three months. This funding will cover the honorarium for 13,611 cooks for the months of September, October, and November. The state’s finance minister revealed that these cooks receive a daily payment ranging from Rs 600 to Rs 675, contrary to the central government’s guideline of Rs 1000 per month. This means that for approximately 20 working days in a month, a cook’s earnings amount to Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,500.

The finance minister emphasized that Kerala stands out as no other state invests such substantial amounts in compensating midday meal cooks. Notably, the midday meal scheme is a centrally sponsored initiative, with the Union government contributing a portion of the honorarium. Despite this, the finance minister pointed out that the state shoulders the majority of the burden, with Rs 12,900 out of the monthly Rs 13,500 being covered by Kerala.