Date:27/12/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/27/stories/2005122709180300.htm

Karnataka - Belgaum

Protest against privatisation of midday meal scheme

Staff Correspondent

FOR A CAUSE: Members of the Belgaum District Midday Meal Scheme Workers' Association staging a demonstration in Belgaum on Monday against the privatisation of the scheme.

Belgaum: Members of the Belgaum District Midday Meal Scheme Workers' Association launched an indefinite agitation in front of the zilla panchayat office here on Monday against the privatisation of the scheme.

`False promises'

Led by the association president, V.C. Kulkarni, the secretary, G.M. Jainekhan, the Vice-President, L.S. Nayak, the Joint Secretary, Chandrakant Halgali, and the CPI State Executive Committee member, R. Vijay Kumar, the members alleged that the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, had been making false promises on dropping the move to privatise the scheme.

They said the members staged protests and demonstrations against the "anti-people" and "pro-privatisation" policies of the Government in the past few months.

But the Government is going ahead with the privatisation of the scheme. In Belgaum district, the scheme has been handed over to private groups in Hukkeri, Belgaum and Athani taluks, they said.

The leaders of the workers' association threatened to intensify their agitation if the Government "fails" to revert to the earlier system.