MAHARASHTRA: In a much welcome move that would provide essential health services to an otherwise ignored population, the Union Cabinet earlier this month announced that ragpickers and waste-pickers would now be included in the RashtriyaSwasthyaBimaYojana (RSBY), a flagship scheme of the Union government which provides health insurance.
Social groups working for the benefit of this group however expressed concern that the government of Maharashtra was withdrawing the scheme from the state in the wake of its poor implementation. The scheme is being withdrawn also because of the introduction of another scheme called the Rajiv Gandhi JeevandayiYojana, which promises to cover 972 surgeries, therapies and procedures to identify poor population.
It has taken four years of public advocacy for ragpickers to get recognition under the central scheme. And it should not work to the disadvantage of those working in Maharashtra because of the government transitioning to another programme.
While no clear statistics are available, given the informal nature of the work, the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers (AIW), which is a conglomeration of 30 organizations working for the welfare of ragpickers, estimates that there are roughly two lakh waste- pickers in Maharashtra. AIW points out that these workers are an essential part of the recycling value chain in India. They further pointed out that the recovery and recycling of material diverts waste from landfills, saves municipal waste handling costs and conserves scarce resources,, underlining the fact that the RSBY promises to offer some succor to them.
Cuts, bruises and exposure to hazardous waste are all an occupational hazard for waste-pickers. Waste management is all the more hazardous in developing countries like India where garbage is not separated at the source. It is then essential that the Maharashtra government provides for their treatment at the earliest.
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