Centre along with UNDP to empower waste pickers through inclusion, safety

The Centre on Labour Day signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve waste pickers' access to finance and relevant technologies and ensure a safer and more sustainable work environment.

The agreement was exchanged between Angela Lusigi, UNDP's Resident Representative in India and Amit Yadav, Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE).

The collaboration would unravel as part of government's ongoing efforts under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme, which added waste pickers as a key focus group in 2024, according to an official statement.

Under the agreement, the UNDP will provide financial assistance to set up state project management units (PMUs) across multiple states to ensure better coordination between central and state authorities and streamline implementation.

The waste picker component of NAMASTE aims to formally identify and support around 2.5 lakh people engaged in this activity across the country through a digital profiling and registration campaign.

The initiative includes issuing occupational photo ID cards, health insurance under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, skill training, PPE kits, and capital subsidies for waste collection vehicles.

It also encourages the formation of waste picker collectives to manage decentralised waste collection centres, boosting both livelihoods and dignity, the statement said.

So far, over 5,000 waste pickers have been digitally profiled using a dedicated mobile application under the scheme, signalling a major milestone in their formal integration into the sanitation workforce, it said.