Context: The Union government released nationwide enumeration data of waste-pickers for the first time under the NAMASTE scheme.
- The data revealed that 84.5% of waste-pickers belong to SC, ST and OBC communities, highlighting deep social stratification in informal urban labour.
About Waste-pickers enumeration under NAMASTE scheme:
Key trends:
- Total waste-pickers enumerated: 52 lakh across 35 States/UTs
- Regional outliers:
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- General category majority in Delhi and Goa
- West Bengal: 42.4% from General category
- Linked sanitation data:
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- 91.95% of sewer/septic tank workers belong to SC/ST/OBC groups
Significance
- Social justice lens: Confirms the caste-based concentration of hazardous informal labour, reinforcing concerns of occupational segregation.
- Policy targeting: Enables formal recognition by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and access to safety gear, insurance and welfare schemes.
- Human rights perspective: Supports India’s constitutional mandate to eliminate manual scavenging and hazardous sanitation work.
Relevance for UPSC examination:
- GS Paper II (Governance & Social Justice)
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- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections
- Role of State in social empowerment
- Issues related to marginalised communities
- GS Paper I (Indian Society)
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- Caste, occupation and social stratification
- Urban informal sector and gendered labour
- GS Paper III (Inclusive Growth)
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- Informal economy
- Labour reforms and worker safety
