PANAJI
A bunch of cash-strapped contractors supplying cooked mid-day meals in schools of five talukas were on Wednesday assured by officials of the Education Department that their pending bills related to services rendered in the current academic year will be cleared latest by November 4.
On Wednesday a group of these contractors, mostly women running self-help groups in the five talukas of Mormugao, Salcete, Tiswadi, Ponda and Pernem visited the Directorate of Education Headquarters at Porvorim to convey their difficulty in continuing services due to paucity of funds.
They said that none of their bills have been cleared this year and that they would be in no position to continue serving cooked meals in schools post-Diwali vacation.
The women also said that they had put forth their demand for revision of rates as the earlier Rs 8-per 100 grams and Rs 10 for 150 grams was not economical.
Earlier last month, students in schools in Canacona taluka had to go without mid-day meals as the contractor failed to deliver claiming bankruptcy due to the low rates.
