Ranking lowest in India's urban informal sector, up to 4 million work as waste pickers

By A Representative
Waste picking ranks the lowest in the hierarchy of urban informal occupations and yet there are an estimated 1.5 million to 4 million waste pickers across India, a celebration of the International Waste Pickers Day, which fell on March 1, has been told. The event took place at the Bhowapur wastepickers community, Ghaziabad, National Capital Region.
Organised by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), it was pointed out, informal waste workers play a critical role in supplementing solid waste management systems across urban areas, not just in India but also in other developing countries. The waste workers provide a backbone to the waste management system.
Rajesh Upadhyay, national convenor, National Alliance for Labour Rights (NALR), said that waste pickers work contribute majorly in making the environment liveable by picking up waste and making it reusable.
By doing this the wastepickers contribute to the environment and society. Always remember that your work in reality is so important for society despite not receiving the respect of the society for your work, she insisted. It is the lack of understanding of the community and not the quality of your work. Never demotivate but stand together to raise your voice.
According to him, all the workers, despite what they are doing, should unite together and stand for each other.He demanded that the government should organise a committee with the representatives of the community so the problems can be solved.
Rajendra Ravi of the National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), mentioned that in our ecosystem, there is no natural substance which is waste. Fruit, vegetable peel which is a kitchen waste, is extremely valuable fertilizer for land and vegetation.
With a shift in lifestyle, people now think that it is waste and everything is used and thrown away. It is the waste pickers now, which keep a tab on the things which can be recycled and work for it, he added. When an engineer does it, they charge huge sums for the same knowledge which waste pickers use and have.
Ena Zafar, national convenor, DASAM, spoke about the importance and history of international wastepickers day. She called waste gold and said that when that gold is handled by wastepickers it's wrong, unauthorised and filthy work. But when the contract for the same is given to private companies, it's suddenly profitable and a contribution to the environment.
We have been working in different areas where we see the wastepickers are continuously harassed by the authorities and even by the societies from where they pick waste. Women have to go out early to pick waste and then do the housework, she noted.
She added, after so much struggle and contribution, the waste pickers are still treated with contempt. It is the time where we all organise together and take the control of waste in our hands. It's a fight for livelihood and dignity which we have to do together.
The celebration included music, slogans and participation from various speakers. The event concluded with slogans and remembrance of Ambedkar.

Comments

Mergers and privatisation: The Finance Minister’s misguided banking agenda

By Thomas Franco The Finance Minister has once again revived talk of merging two or three large public sector banks to make them globally competitive. Reports also suggest that the government is considering appointing Managing Directors in public sector banks from the private sector. Both moves would strike at the heart of India’s public banking system . Privatisation undermines the constitutional vision of social and economic justice, and such steps could lead to irreversible damage.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Political misfires in Bihar: Reasons behind the Opposition's self-inflicted defeat

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The Bihar Vidhansabha Election 2025 verdict is out. I maintained deliberate silence about the growing tribe of “social media” experts and their opinions. Lately, these do not fascinate me. Anyone forming an opinion solely on the basis of these “experts” lives in a fool’s paradise. I do not watch them, nor do I follow them on Twitter. I stayed away partly because I was not certain of a MahaGathbandhan victory, even though I wanted it. But my personal preference is not the issue here. The parties disappointed.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

From fake interviewer to farmer’s advocate: Akshay Kumar’s surprising role in 'Jolly LLB 3'

By Prof. Hemantkumar Shah* At the luxurious INOX theatre in Sky City Mall, Borivali East, Mumbai, around seventy upper-middle-class viewers attended the 10:45 a.m. screening of Jolly LLB 3. In the film’s concluding courtroom sequence, Arshad Warsi’s character asks the judge whether he would willingly surrender one of his own homes to the government for a development project in Delhi.

Only one Indian national park rated ‘good’ by IUCN: Concerns over ecological governance

By A Representative Environmental policy expert Shankar Sharma has written to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and its affiliated institutions, expressing grave concern over India’s deteriorating ecological health. Citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s latest global review, which found that only Khangchendzonga National Park received a “Good” rating among 107 national parks, Sharma warned that the findings reveal a “serious concern for the overall health of the country’s flora, fauna, and environment.”

Search This Blog