Odisha Declares Enhanced Wages, Allowances for Core Sanitation Workers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has declared enhanced wages and allowances for core sanitation workers.
According to the Housing and Urban Development Department, seven categories of core sanitation work have been included within skilled and highly skilled categories of scheduled employment.

The minimum wage for highly skilled core sanitation worker (Grade I) will be Rs 461 and Rs 401 for skilled core sanitation workers (Grade II).

The government has approved ‘Risk and Hardship Allowance’ for core sanitation workers who will now get 15% incentive on their wage in recognition of their hazardous and arduous nature of work, informed Housing and Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena.

The inclusion of core sanitation workers under highly Skilled and Skilled categories in the Scheduled Employment with provisions of Risk and Hardship Allowance is a great achievement under the Garima scheme, which was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in September last year.

The scheme envisages safety and dignity of the core sanitation workers and also provides for appropriate wage and compensation to workers, who perform arduous nature of work, including desludging of onsite sanitation systems, maintenance of sewer network, cleaning of inspection chambers, cleaning and maintenance of septic tank as ‘Highly Skilled’ and designated as Grade I and cleaning of drains, cleaning, operation and maintenance of public and community toilets and operation and management of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) as ‘Skilled’ and designated as ‘Grade II’.