Welfare package announced for sanitation workers OdishaChief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday announced a life insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh for sanitation workers, and a compensation of Rs 30 lakh if they lose their lives on duty. Majhi made the announcement after inaugurating a two-day national workshop on ‘Transforming Core Sanitation Work -- Safety, Dignity & Inclusion’, organised by the Housing and Urban Development department of the Odisha government.

“It is our moral responsibility to provide sanitation workers justice, safety and dignity,” he said, addressing the programme. “Key sanitation workers, mostly engaged in cleaning sewage and septic tanks, will be provided with life insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh, assistance of Rs 30 lakh for loss of life in the field,” he said.

They will also be given mobile phones and allotted houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), he added. Majhi said a 15-day Statewide campaign will be held from August 15 to make sanitation workers aware of the benefits. He said the Jagannath culture also spreads the message of cleanliness. The Chef Minister said the Odisha government’s social welfare scheme for sanitation workers, Garima Yojana, has been an inspiration for many States.

He said more than 10,000 sanitation workers from 115 cities and towns of the State have been identified for the benefits. “Today’s workshop is an important platform. From this platform, sanitation workers from different States can learn a lot from each other’s experiences,” he said. Representatives of seven States were participating in it. On this occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated an exhibition of modern equipment related to sanitation work. He also felicitated some sanitation workers.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Majhi said it was Modi who launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on August 15, 2014, envisioning sanitation in every household as a prerequisite for India’s social and economic development.