Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ensure the safety and dignity of sanitation workers in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday launched a scheme to improve their socio-economic condition and hone skills.
The ‘Garima’ (Pride) scheme will be implemented in all the 114 urban local bodies (ULBs) of Odisha and benefit about 20,000 core sanitation workers and their families.
Also read: Rs 300 crore flood relief for Odisha farmers
“Odisha’s Garima scheme is a humble tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, who fought throughout his life for the rights, equality and social dignity of the underprivileged people,” CM Patnaik said.
“Manual scavenging has been the starkest example of discrimination in the name of caste, relegating the less privileged to perform the sanitation work,” he added.
“In spite of India taking several strides in various sectors and competing with the best in the world, these underprivileged people were made to render this invaluable service to the society for generations. The core sanitation workers were deprived of safety, dignity and decent livelihood besides suffering social stigma and exclusion. Our conscience can never be calmed down if we don’t take steps to mend such injustice. My government has therefore decided to launch this scheme to ensure safety and dignity of core sanitation workers,” stated Patnaik while launching the scheme that will eradicate manual forage of municipal wastes.
With the launch of this scheme, the state government has manifested once again its commitment to eliminate inhuman and hazardous sanitation practices and to improve socio-economic conditions of core sanitation workers, said an official press release.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Housing and Urban Development Pratap Jena said that the scheme is a first of its kind by any state in India to provide a comprehensive package – institutionalising and regulating the core sanitation services, providing service level benefits, ensuring social security and financial benefits to core sanitation workers and their family members as well.
‘Garima’ scheme also brings an increased focus on enforcement of statutory provisions under various national and state legislations. Approximately, 20,000 core sanitation workers and their families – roughly 1 lakh people – will benefit from the scheme.
The scheme aims to identify through state-wide survey and to register core sanitation workers in the state, makes registration of sanitation service providers mandatory and makes provision for necessary equipments including appropriate Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to ensure safe working conditions for them.
Core sanitation workers in the state will receive skill development training to improvise their work efficiency. However, they will also have access to counselling and financial support, as and when they choose to have an alternative livelihood in future.
Major benefits of the scheme include introduction of a special category of wage for core sanitation workers, introduction of risk and hardship allowance, financial assistance to the families in the event of accident or injury, financial support in the form of house grant and purchase of two-wheelers to the extent of 90% of vehicle’s cost.
In addition to these, access to EPF, retirement benefits, post-service benefits and illness allowances will provide further financial security to the core sanitation workers and their respective families.
The state government will also provide welfare benefits like health and life insurance, disability support, periodic health check-ups, housing, educational support, mobility support and mobile support.
In his welcome address, G Mathi Vathanan Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development department highlighted about the scheme. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard with the Urban Management Centre which will provide technical support for the implementation of the scheme.
PNN