WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024
Merril Diniz
A little girl opened up her tiffin box to reveal one of my favourite meals - upma. I complimented her mom on her cooking skills. She says she didn’t make it. It was her daughter’s midday meal.
The midday meal is an iconic idea, born out of necessity. If children are hungry, how can they be expected to come to school and learn? In many parts of the country, children from under-served communities show up in school for this one meal, which fuels them for 24 hours. In Goa, the midday meal scheme serves a dual purpose. It feeds children in schools. But the meal itself is cooked by women belonging to 95 self-help groups (SHGs).
The SHGs in Goa and other parts of the country, have been a pillar for women’s growth, community-building, skilling, and income generation. But now the livelihoods of Goan women belonging to these groups are under threat.
In the last few weeks, O Heraldo has reported that the Government of Goa is yet to clear dues to the tune of Rs 13 crore owed to them for their services. To keep operations going, the women have been pawning off gold, taking bank loans, and buying supplies on credit from local grocers. But now their vendors expect a payment, making operations unsustainable.
Despite all these extreme challenges, the SHGs have not stopped their services. They understand the value of the service they provide to children. However, according to news reports, the government has introduced a clause in the agreements, which states that if the meal supply is stopped, they can bring in private contractors.
This creates a catch-22 situation – if the women continue supplying without the dues being cleared, they will sink deeper into the vicious cycle of debt. If they stop supplying the meals, the government has the power to take away their livelihoods and outsource this work to private contractors.
Rs13 crore are peanuts for a state government that has spent Rs 581 crore on the construction of a 3.1 km cable bridge that was poorly engineered. Rs 11 billion has been allocated to turn Goa’s capital city into a Smart City, a project dogged with financial irregularities, and extreme inconvenience for residents. But when governments start threatening the livelihoods of women, it is a cause for grave concern.
For centuries, women have engaged in cooking as part of their domestic duties. They have now turned it into a marketable skill, paving the way for economic mobility. The sudden loss of livelihood is not merely a loss of financial means. It is a loss of identity and a legacy of which they have long been a part.
Tendering midday meals which is a public service will spell disaster for the women SHGs, and trigger unemployment. The modus operandi through which the entire episode is being handled also creates an unsafe space for women.
I urge the Goa government to clear their dues. As a state, I believe, we also need to value the work of the SHGs. Their efforts and commitment to feeding future generations, in the face of immense hardship, deserves celebration and they should be encouraged and rewarded.
(Merril Diniz is a freelance writer and a digital interview host based in Goa)
