Tuesday, 06 February 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Bhojan Matas rallied towards the Vidhan Sabha in support of their demands on Monday. They were stopped by the police from proceeding towards the Vidhan Sabha on the first day of the four-day Assembly session. The Bhojan Matas who had reached Dehradun from various parts of the State staged a protest on the road near the barricade where they were stopped. They are demanding that their monthly allowance should be increased and that they should be provided social benefits for their families to improve their standard of living.
Dwelling on the issue, a Bhojan Mata from Dehradun, Monica Kumar stated that they were appointed as State Bhojan Matas in 2003, and at that time their monthly allowance was Rs 500. Over time, the allowance was raised to Rs 3,000 which is no longer sufficient for them for sustenance and providing proper education and food for their children. She emphasised that the State government must consider their situation and raise their monthly allowance along with providing some form of gratuity or life plan to help them live a better life.
She further emphasised that the government has recently issued an order to dismiss the old Bhojan Matas from their positions. She stressed that the government must reconsider this decision. If the government fails to meet their demand, they intend to organise a protest in the state soon, she said.
Another Bhojan Mata Indu Sharma stated that although the government has employed them to prepare food for children, they are being exploited by being assigned tasks like cleaning washrooms. Additionally, they are being paid a meager salary for their work. “Many Bhojan Matas are widows who are solely responsible for raising their children and the monthly allowance they receive is insufficient. Therefore, on behalf of all the Bhojan Matas, I urge the government to promptly address the issue of the monthly allowance. Failure to do so will force us to stage a protest in the state soon,” she said.
“Both the issues of gratuity and monthly allowance need to be addressed by the government. In addition, the decision to replace the old Bhojan Matas from their position should also be reconsidered, as these individuals have families to support and it becomes challenging for us to manage our own households with the current monthly allowance,” said another Bhojan Mata Pooja.
