Bhubaneswar: With the launch of ‘GARIMA’ scheme, the first one of its kind in India, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has reaffirmed his commitment to realize the dreams of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi in giving the sanitation workers their right place in the society.
Sanitation workers render an essential public service across the globe. The service we all need daily but hardly acknowledge the plight of the sanitation workers. They are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, often invisible and suffer serious occupational and environmental health hazards and social stigma.
Hence, Naveen Patnaik, a true champion in propagating in Gandhian values and ideologies, has rightly pointed out while launching the GARIMA scheme that manual scavenging has been the starkest example of discrimination in the name of caste, practiced in India, relegating the less privileged to perform the sanitation work.
In spite of the nation, making several strides in various sectors, competing with the best in the world, these underprivileged people were made to render this invaluable service to the society for generations, deprived of safety, dignity and a decent livelihood, apart from suffering social stigma and exclusion.
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Sanitation is more important than swaraj”. Gandhi had made cleanliness and sanitation an integral part of his way of living. His dream was total sanitation for all.
For Mahatma Gandhi, it was not only essential for everyone to learn about cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation, but also to respect the sanitation workers with greater dignity. When a new person would come to Gandhi’s ashrams with a desire to work with him, the first thing, he or she would be required to do was to clean a toilet. This was Gandhi’s way of testing people’s resolve and commitment to social or public cause. Gandhi would identify with community of sanitation workers and even said that in future birth he would like to be born in that community.
As the Nation celebrates 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s ‘GARIMA’ scheme is undoubtedly a humble tribute in realizing the dreams of father of nation.
The social welfare scheme aims at ensuring safety and dignity in the core sanitation work along with several protective and welfare measures through very systematic approaches like state wide survey and identification of sanitation workers engaged in core sanitation work, regulating sanitation service organizations including those in the private sector.
The scheme calls for introduction of special wage category, introduction of Risk & Hardship allowance, provision of health and life insurance, priority in educational institutions, 90 percent grant as Housing Assistance, 90 percent grant for buying 2 wheeler, mandatory provision of personal protective equipment and safety devices, ex-gratia in case of accident and injury, EPF, ESI, Family pension etc.
A dedicated corpus fund initially with Rs. 50 crore will also be created. A State Commission for Core Sanitation Workers will also be constituted.
The Scheme, which will be implemented in all the 114 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will benefit more 20,000 core sanitation workers and their families covering one lakh population.
It is another feather in the cap of the Odisha Government’s social welfare programmes. It will go a long way in eradicating their social stigma and pave way for a respectable life for them.
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