Sanitation workers now to be classified as Skilled, Highly-Skilled in Odisha with increased wage

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government today announced to classify sanitation workers as Skilled and Highly-Skilled under Garima scheme, which was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in September last year.

With this, core sanitation workers will now get Risk and Hardship Allowance along with an increased wage of Rs 461 per day for Grade-I category and Rs 401 for Grade-II category against the existing Rs 311 per day.

Inclusion of core sanitation workers under highly Skilled and Skilled categories in the Scheduled Employment with provisions of Risk and Hardship Allowance is a great achievement under the Garima scheme, said Panchayatiraj  Minister Pratap Jena.

Scheme Garima envisages safety and dignity of the core sanitation workers and also provides for appropriate wage and compensation to workers, who perform arduous nature of work, including  desludging of onsite sanitation systems, maintenance of sewer network, cleaning of inspection chambers, cleaning and maintenance of septic tank as ‘Highly Skilled’ and designated as Grade I and cleaning of drains, cleaning, operation and maintenance of public and community toilets and operation and management of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) as ‘Skilled’ and designated as ‘Grade II’, as  notified by Labour and Employees State Insurance Department for the first time.

“The core sanitation workers now will get 15% of their wages as part of remuneration, in recognition of the risky, hazardous and arduous nature of work assigned to them. The allowance will be paid along with the wage for the day(s) of work. With this initiative, the sanitation workers will earn the much-deserved title of a Skilled/Highly Skilled worker and compensation that better appreciates their efforts in making our cities healthy and clean, thereby paving way to build Swachha Odisha Sustha Odisha,” said the Minister.