Archive · 19 Jan 2026
Chhattisgarh Midday Meal Cooks Strike for Higher Wages
Cooks who make lunch for school children in Chhattisgarh are protesting.
They want more money because they only get Rs 66 a day, which is not enough to live on.
Most of the cooks are women who have been working for many years.
One cook, Meghraj Baghel, has been working for 30 years and took loans to pay for his children's education.
He says when he started, they got Rs 15 a day.
The cooks are also upset because if fewer children come to school, they lose their jobs.
They are hoping the government will listen and give them a raise.
The cooks say they work long hours but are only paid for a few hours.
They want the government to give them better pay and job security.
Midday meal cooks in Chhattisgarh are on an indefinite strike demanding a wage increase from Rs 66 to Rs 440 per day.
The protest is organized by the Chhattisgarh School Madhyanbhojan Rasoiya Sanyukta Sangh, with 95% of protesters being women.
Cooks protest in batches, staying for about three days before others take their place, with 6,000 to 7,000 cooks protesting daily.
Meghraj Baghel, a cook for 30 years, highlights the financial struggle and the injustice of low wages, having started with Rs 15 a day in 1995.
Cooks also protest against the termination of services if the number of children in a school decreases, demanding alternative employment within the government setup.
- Who
- Midday meal cooks in Chhattisgarh government schools, mostly women
- What
- Indefinite strike demanding higher wages and job security
- When
- Ongoing for 22 days
- Where
- New Raipur, Chhattisgarh
- Why
- To increase daily wages from Rs 66 to Rs 440 and protest service termination due to declining student numbers
- Current Daily Wage
- Rs 66
- Demanded Daily Wage
- Rs 440 (collector rate)
- Duration of Strike
- 22 days (ongoing)
- Number of Years in Service (Meghraj Baghel)
- 30 years
- Initial Daily Wage (1995)
- Rs 15
- Loans Taken (Meghraj Baghel)
- Rs 90,000
- Protesting Association
- Chhattisgarh School Madhyanbhojan Rasoiya Sanyukta Sangh
- Percentage of Female Protesters
- 95%
- Number of Cooks in the State
- 87,000
- Daily Protesters
- 6,000 to 7,000
Sources
‘I worked even on day my daughter died’: Paid just Rs 66 daily, Chhattisgarh midday meal cooks seek better wages
How do we survive on Rs 66 a day? Chhattisgarh mid-day meal cooks on indefinite protest
Can't survive on Rs 66/day, say mid-day meal cooks on protest
