Cleanliness comes in new form for rag pickers

BANGALORE: Rag picking in the city is likely to become more organised as the Social Welfare Department has decided to patronise the programme formulated by some of the NGOs. Social Welfare Department Principal Secretary, E Venkataiah said, “One of the members of Lok Adalat and environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy, approached us and asked to get some of the rag pickers’ children admitted to hostels to educate these children, so we have accommodated them. As per his suggestion to educate and organise the rag pickers to improve their income and lives, we have agreed to do the needful.”Yellappa Reddy said that though the rag pickers contribute a lot to maintain cleanliness in the city, they live in pathetic conditions. To bring changes to their lives, some of the NGOs in the city have formed a team called ‘Hasiru Dala’.According to the estimates of the department, there are 25,000 rag pickers in and around Bangalore and all of them are living in abominable conditions. Most of them suffer from sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and their children get addicted to cheap drugs like inhaling of thinner etc. According to Hasiru Dala Coordinator Nalini Shekar, they are involving NGOs and Resident Welfare Associations in the city to make the rag pickers apply for identity cards that would be given by the BBMP. The BBMP has already issued 225 identity cards and Hasiru Dala is planning to apply for ID cards for around 5,000 rag pickers. The BBMP has also agreed to prepare and maintain a data base of these rag pickers. The rag pickers will be organised into small groups and trained to segregate the solid waste according to its content and to sell that waste in the right places to minimise the pollution in city.  “A similar project is being implemented in Pune and the children of the rag pickers have completed degrees courses and are employed.One of the rag picker’s son has gone abroad to pursue higher studies in catering. We are working in different conditions and hope to help maximum number of rag pickers”, Nalini added.