Goa Forward objects roping in Guj firm to supply mid-day meals

Panaji, July 6 Objecting against the Goa government's reported move to rope in a Gujarat-based company to supply mid-day meals in schools by displacing local Self Help Groups (SHG), the Goa Forward Party (GFP) has warned that it will not allow outsiders to steal work from women in the coastal state.

GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai said that women SHGs from all across Goa are fearful and anxious by the government's move to replace them with imports from out of the state.

“I will not only raise this matter forcefully in the upcoming Assembly session but also fight along with them to make sure such nonsensical anti-Goan tendencies are nipped in the bud,” he said.

“They (SHG) have not been paid and now the government wants to stop their services. The government which is boasting of ‘Swayampurna’ and ‘Atmanirbhar’ is trying to import agency from Gujarat to supply mid-day meals. This agency will push women of the state to unemployment. The government is supporting this trend."

He said that contracts to locals are given for a year, while this agency will be given 15 years to establish them in the coastal state.

“The government is trying to do this at the cost of Goans. I will raise this issue in the Assembly session. This is injustice done to Goans. We are known for the quality cuisine, then how the government can disqualify our SHG on this point,” he said.

“I want to know the vested interest of the government to give this work to outsiders and also who is the partner of the company and why the government is so keen to get the outside company in the mid-day meal business,” Sardesai said.

Mid-day meals benefit around 1.60 lakh students of 1,400 aided and government schools of the coastal state.

There are around 105 SHGs engaged in preparing the meals.