Indore Municipal Corporation Issues Occupational Identity Cards to Wastepickers

Indore Municipal Corporation issued occupational identity cards to 25o wastepickers associated with Jan Vikas Society. The cards were distributed by Ms. Malini Gaur, Mayor of Indore city in the presence of many officials from the corporation. The identity cards are c0-signed by Chief Medical Officer and Director, Jan Vikas Society. With that Indore becomes the first city in Madhya Pradesh to undertake such an inclusionary measure.

The issuance of identity cards is an outcome of a long struggle waded by waste-pickers in the city. It has also been mandated by Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan guidelines. Commissioner of the city has assured that all wastepickers will be enumerated and given identity cards.

There are more than 3000 wastepickers in Indore, 93 percent of them are women. Jan Vikas Society has been working with wastepickers for the past 15 years through formation of cooperative society, self help groups and providing vocational training, conducting regular health check-ups etc.

Efforts are on to get waste pickers integrated into the solid waste management process of Indore Municipal Corporation.