Pre-teens in UP village boycott mid day meal prepared by ‘lower’ caste cook
School throws food after protests
Sitapur, Sept 08: Students of a primary school in an Uttar Pradesh village refused to have mid day meal on Friday as they couldn't stomach the fact that it was prepared by a woman from a Scheduled Caste.
The incident took place in Palharia village in Sitapur district's Pisawan block. As the word spread that a 'lower' caste woman was cooking the meal, parents of the schoolchildren gathered at the school and protested against her hiring. Eventually, only six of the 76 students enrolled in the school had the food. The remaining rotis and the potato curry had to be thrown.
Palharia village has 50-odd households and is mostly populated by Yadavs and Brahmins, deemed upper caste. A few Scheduled Caste families also live here.
Golu Singh, a local journalist working with a news channel, informed that the school's regular cook is a Yadav. He said Rama Devi, who hails from the Arakh caste (listed as a Scheduled Caste), was roped in on Friday to fill in for the regular cook, who had taken a day's leave. He said that parents of the students thought the regular cook has been replaced. He also added that the caste equation continues to remain an important matter in these villages.
School principal Manoj Kumar told 101Reporters that when parents came en masse and asked their children not to have the food, he tried to reason with them but to no avail.
A Class 4 student, Ashish, who only gave his first name, told this reporter that he saw Rama peeling potatoes when he came to the school in the morning. He said she asked him if he'll have lunch and he refused. He said that for five years, they have been having food prepared by chachi (the regular cook) and they won't accept Rama. When asked what was wrong with Rama, he seemed unsure.
"What do I say! What do I say! If all the children eat, I'll also eat," he said defiantly, seemingly annoyed at the question.
Condemning the incident, former IPS officer and social activist SR Darapuri called for an inquiry. He said boycotting the cook is in direct violation of an order of the Uttar Pradesh government. He said the order, issued as per the direction of the Supreme Court, asks that people from socially backward castes be hired as cooks to eradicate the concept of caste-based discrimination from the minds of children.
Further, he demanded that the role of school principal and teachers too be probed as they are also responsible for shaping children’s mind.
District Basic Education Officer Ajay Kumar refused to comment on the incident. Sub-divisional magistrate of Maholi town in Sitapur, Neeraj Prasad, assured an inquiry would be held. He said the administration will also take action against those found guilty if the cook chooses to file a complaint.
The author is a Sitapur-based independent journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters
Courtesy: www.firstpost.com
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BAMUL president slams Flipkart over selling milk for Re 1 per litre
Bengaluru (PTI): Bangalore Milk Union Ltd president D K Suresh on Saturday claimed that e-commerce giant Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through "investor-funded discount campaigns", accusing it of undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades.
He has lodged a complaint against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and also written an email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking investigation into "predatory pricing" of milk by the quick commerce platform and its impact on dairy farmers and cooperative institutions.
However, Flipkart said in a statement that it periodically runs limited promotional campaigns on select products available on the platform, often in partnership with banking partners, to enhance customer value.
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"Prices of products on the Flipkart marketplace are determined by individual sellers. All dairy partners and sellers continue to receive their full agreed price for the products they supply, and farmer procurement prices are not impacted in any way," a Flipkart spokesperson said.
Flipkart further said it remains committed to working with farmers, cooperatives and sellers across India to expand market access and support their growth.
Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and also a former MP, slammed Flipkart for its latest move.
Taking to social media platform 'X', the Bangalore Milk Union Ltd (BAMUL) president said that milk is not a Re 1 flash deal. It is the livelihood of millions of farmers.
"Behind every litre of milk is the sweat, labour, and livelihood of our farmers. Predatory discounting by companies like Flipkart weakens India's dairy cooperatives and hurts farmer incomes," he said.
He urged both the central and the state governments to act immediately to protect the farmers and the cooperative movement.
In another post, Suresh said that milk is not a marketing gimmick. It is the livelihood of millions of dairy farmers who work every day to feed this nation.
"Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through investor-funded discount campaigns and is undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades," he added, urging public to choose farmers, cooperatives and Nandini, a dairy brand owned by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
Speaking to reporters here earlier in the day, he said that a complaint would be lodged against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) under Section 19(1)(a) over the company's move to sell one litre of milk for Re 1.
He alleged that such competition aimed at capturing the market would hit farmers hard.
"Around Rs 2,000 crore has reportedly been spent on this initiative. It is not appropriate to misuse public shareholders' money in this manner," he said.
According to him, the move could undermine long-standing milk cooperative institutions that have existed since the pre-Independence period.
"Multinational companies are working against farmers' interests. They should clearly state in their advertisements how long they will sell milk at such low prices. Flipkart must withdraw from this move that harms the farming community," he added.
Suresh claimed that 14.5 lakh litres of milk had already been sold under the scheme and advertisements had been issued widely.
"Public money is being invested to attract customers. The company should disclose how long it plans to sell milk at this price," he said.
Responding to a question on whether the sales of Nandini milk had dropped, he said several brands operate in the market and not just Nandini.
"BAMUL's sales have dropped by about 40,000-50,000 litres. We need to ascertain how long this decline has continued," he said.
Asked if other entities were behind the scheme, he said information was still being gathered. "I have seen a couple of advertisements and will also discuss the matter with officials. Under the guise of business, it is not right to ignite a crisis for the farming community," he said.
Suresh said farmers are currently paid Rs 38-40 per litre for milk. "How can they sell it for Re 1? "We need to find out from whom they are purchasing the milk and where it is coming from," he said.
When asked whether farmers should be advised not to sell milk to such companies, Suresh said it was not clear where the company was procuring milk from, including bulk producers.
"We are also checking whether milk powder is being mixed. I have asked for samples and instructed that they be tested in laboratories. If cooperative institutions collapse, the direct impact will be on farmers," he added.
