The AP Midday Meal Workers Union (CITU) president Bhavani and secretary G. Mangasri have submitted a formal representation to the Collector, opposing the State government’s decision to hand over the implementation of the Midday Meal Scheme to the Akshaya Patra Foundation in some mandals of the district.

The union, representing workers in Padmanabham, Chinagadili and Pendurthi mandals, said Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) women had been successfully managing the scheme for the past 22 years. They expressed concern that transferring these responsibilities to an external foundation would lead to the immediate loss of livelihood for nearly half of the current workforce.

In the memorandum submitted on Monday (May 11, 2026), the union leaders outlined the key issues, including job security, unfair compensation and pending wages. They said that while the foundation provided the main meals, the local workers were still required to boil eggs and prepare ambali. For these additional tasks, they were reportedly paid 10 paise per egg, which they described as grossly unjust.

The representation called for the immediate clearance of salary arrears that have remained unpaid since January. The workers have also urged the State government to take over the supply of cooking gas to the centres to ease the financial burden on the local units.

Ms. Bhavani and Ms. Mangasri said the move threatened the financial stability of the women workers and undermined a localised system that had functioned effectively for over two decades. They urged the district administration to intervene and ensure that the welfare of the workers was prioritised. The workers have warned of further protests if the government fails to address the pending wage issues and the threat to their job security.