Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Strengthens Safety Welfare and Dignity of Sanitation Workers
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing various welfare, safety, and financial support measures for sanitation workers and waste pickers across India. Key initiatives include worker profiling, distribution of PPE kits, health insurance coverage, capital subsidies for sanitation vehicles, safety devices, and nationwide awareness workshops.
Why It Matters
This update on welfare measures, profiling statistics, and scheme coverage under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is relevant for competitive exam current affairs questions on government welfare schemes.
In Simple Words
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is working to improve the safety, welfare, and dignity of sanitation workers and waste pickers. Measures include profiling workers, distributing personal protective equipment, providing health insurance coverage, and offering capital subsidies for buying sanitation vehicles.
Additional efforts involve dispatching safety devices to Emergency Response Sanitation Units, conducting nationwide workshops against hazardous cleaning, and expanding the scheme to include solid waste management waste pickers. These steps aim to enhance occupational safety and livelihood opportunities.
Key Points
- 90,942 sewer and septic tank workers profiled and 89,248 validated.
- 87,037 workers provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits.
- 76,247 workers covered under health insurance schemes.
- Rs 34.17 crore upfront capital subsidy released to 983 sanitation workers for 364 vehicles.
- 753 safety devices dispatched to Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs).
- 1,562 workshops conducted on prevention of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
- Scheme coverage expanded in June 2024 to include waste pickers in urban and rural areas.
- 3,78,547 waste pickers profiled and 2,52,163 validated through e-KYC.
Exam Angle
A. 89,248
Source: Press Information Bureau