Government Data Reveals 84% of India's Waste-Pickers Belong to Marginalized Groups
The Union government's first-ever enumeration of waste-pickers under the NAMASTE scheme reveals that 84.5% belong to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), or Other Backward Classes (OBC). Out of 1.52 lakh profiled workers, the majority are from these marginalized communities, while only 10.7% are from the General category. The NAMASTE scheme, originally for sewer and septic tank workers, now includes waste-pickers to formally recognize them and provide protective equipment. The goal is to eradicate hazardous cleaning practices and deaths, with 859 deaths reported since 2014 due to cleaning sewers.
Key Points
- 84.5% of profiled waste-pickers are from SC, ST, or OBC communities, highlighting the intersection of caste and labor.
- The NAMASTE scheme aims to formally recognize and protect waste-pickers and sanitation workers through urban local bodies.
- The scheme's primary objective is to eradicate deaths due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
- In Delhi and Goa, the majority of waste-pickers profiled were from General category communities, unlike the national trend.
Exam Facts
- NAMASTE scheme: National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem
- 1.52 lakh waste-pickers profiled
- 859 deaths due to sewer cleaning since 2014
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