Maharashtra: No Mid-Day Meals For Construction Workers From November

Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (MBOCWWB) has decided to stop mid-day meals to workers. The board was facing allegations of severe irregularities and inquiries.

The state's labour department issued an order stating that the scheme has completed its five-year term as mentioned in the Request For Proposal (RFP). Therefore, the board has decided to stop running this scheme.

Mid-Day Meal Scheme was started in 2019 for labourers and construction workers.

Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that fake construction workers were enrolled in the scheme and fictitious bills were issued in their names, in July. Shiv Sena (UBT) further claimed that this fictitious act led to a scam of INR 100 Crores. Following these allegations, Labour Minister Suresh Kadhe announced an inquiry into the matter. This issue was raised in the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly this year.

Sushma Andhare, a spokesperson for the Shiv Sena (UBT), charged that the Maharashtra government had engaged in widespread corruption in the mid-day meal program for construction workers in Jalgaon. She highlighted suspicions about similar corruption in other state areas, blaming Ministers of Rural Development Girish Mahajan and Water Supply and Sanitation Gulabrao Patil.

“Considering the completion of the five-year term as mentioned in the RFP and other financial as well as administrative issues, it has been decided to close the said mid-day meal scheme from November 1, 2023," reads the order announcing the closure of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

This was one of the major schemes of the labour department. The scheme had an annual expenditure close to INR 2000 crores.

As per this scheme, M/s Gunina Commercial Pvt Ltd was the contractor for Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Aurangabad. As per the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, M/s Indoallied Protein Foods Pvt Ltd was the contractor for Nashik and Konkan (excluding Mumbai and Navi Mumbai) while M/s Parasmal Pagaria and Company was the contractor for Pune, Amravati, and Nagpur divisions.

Under this scheme, the workers enrolled with MBOCWWB would get a Mid-Day meal for 1 rupee. The meal consisted of chapati, sabzi, dal, rice, salad, pickle, and jaggery.

When the nation was dealing with the COVID-19-induced pandemic, the scheme was made available for non-registered construction workers as well. The board had almost 13 lakh construction workers registered with them. About seven to eight lakh workers were supplied mid-day meals on a regular basis. In a month, about five crore mals were supplied to these workers.

An official from the Labour Department stated that the decision has nothing to do with the allegations of the scheme. The decision is taken only on an administrative level the official added.