The supply of midday meals to primary schools in Assam was restored to a large extent on Tuesday after steps by the state government.

However, the meal workers said they would continue their agitation in a peaceful manner.

The mission director of the Axom Sarba Siksha Abhiyan Mission, Samsher Singh, said besides a few places, most of the primary schools received cooked midday meals on Tuesday.

Singh said, “The situation has improved a lot. Primary schools in most districts are now receiving cooked midday meals. We are hoping the cooked food will reach all schools soon.”

In Barpeta on Tuesday, state education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya paid a surprise visit to a school to check the supply and quality of food. He said quality cooked food will be supplied and that meal workers need not worry about their jobs. He alleged that the protests carried out by the meal workers are politicised by certain vested groups. He appealed to the protesting meal workers not to take the law into their hands.

However, the government’s decision to engage NGOs continued to draw concern and condemnation.

All Assam Students’ Union chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya on Tuesday said the state government should not risk playing with the lives of meal workers. He appealed to the state government to resolve the issue at the earliest.

AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi also asked Dispur to provide the minimum wage of Rs 9,000 to the meal workers.

The Asom Songrami Mancha said the BJP has not even spare children from its business. The Mancha said the system of distributing cooked food prepared by NGOs is not safe. “The BJP government has allowed the corporate-backed NGOs to occupy the kitchens and the meal workers are forced to fight on the streets,” the Mancha said.

In Jorhat, the district unit of the meal workers’ association staged a demonstration at the deputy commissioner’s office and urged the administration to remove the NGOs at the earliest.

The adviser to the All Assam Primary and Upper Primary Mid-day Meal Cook and Helpers’ Association, Trishna Nath, said the normality is quite temporary.

“We have asked all the cooks and helpers to avoid vandalism. We will maintain the spirit of the movement and intensify our protests from November 9 onwards,” Nath said.

Earlier, the cooks and meal workers announced a blockade of the national highways of the state on November 9 and 10 from 8am to 1pm.

The protests include a railway blockade on November 11, sit-in in front of the residence of education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya on November 12 and a hunger strike in front of Janata Bhawan on November 13.

The president of the Paras Agro Society, Ankush Jain, said except for a few vehicles, the delivery went smoothly in Udaguri and Lakhimpur. “Some cooks and helpers, however, threatened the teachers not to receive the meals. Our vehicles had to return without delivering.”