New Delhi, July 29 (IANS): A delegation of mid day meal workers Monday urged the government not to privatize the scheme following the death of 23 school students in Bihar who consumed contaminated food.

A delegation of the All India Coordination Committee of Mid Day Meal Workers, affiliated to the Marxist CITU, made the demand when they called on Minister of State for Human Resource Development Jitin Prasada.

The delegation pointed out that in the wake of the Bihar tragedy of this month, "there is a very conscious move from many quarters ... to malign the scheme and privatise it".

The delegation demanded that there should be no privatisation of the mid day meal programme which caters to millions of students in government-run schools across the country.

The delegation demanded the extension of the scheme up to Class 12.

It said the big centralized kitchens set up by some NGOs were against the very concept of the scheme providing freshly cooked locally available food and providing employment to the most marginalised women.

According to a statement from the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the minister promised to immediately increase the remuneration paid to mid day meal workers.

He vowed to strengthen the scheme and promised to look into the matter of privatisation and the role of NGOs.