Pourakarmikas seek better safety, healthcare and welfare benefits; told to register on ‘NAMASTE’ app mandatorily

The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis has directed all pourakarmikas in Bengaluru to mandatorily register on the ‘NAMASTE’ app to facilitate access to various welfare and safety benefits provided by the Union government.

The direction was issued by Hardeep Singh Gill, Member of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, at a meeting held at the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Central Office on Tuesday. The meeting, chaired by Mr. Gill and GBA Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao, discussed the demands and issues of pourakarmikas and manual scavengers, including safety, health, housing, education, compensation, pension and socio-economic welfare.

Mr. Rao said continuous inspections and documentation were being carried out across the city to monitor the safety and working conditions of pourakarmikas. Case-wise information on deaths and accidents related to manual scavenging was also being collected, and necessary action was being taken to provide compensation and other benefits as per the rules.

According to officials, around 15,292 pourakarmikas are currently working in the city, including 12,924 permanent workers and 2,368 daily-wage workers. Representatives of pourakarmika organisations said the workforce had declined from over 35,000 earlier, increasing the workload on existing workers. They sought a scientific reassessment of manpower requirements and an increase in staff strength.

The meeting also reviewed welfare schemes, including financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakh for eligible pourakarmikas who own plots, reimbursement of medical expenses up to ₹50,000, self-employment assistance, reimbursement of school fees, and higher education assistance. Skill-development programmes and a proposal to provide around 120 houses in the North and South city corporation jurisdictions were also discussed.

Representatives of manual scavengers sought immediate compensation for the families of those who died due to manual scavenging, pension benefits, health cards, and treatment facilities in private hospitals. They also sought continued educational assistance for their children, loans and financial assistance, and support for self-employment.

Officials were directed to complete the registration of eligible pourakarmikas on the ‘NAMASTE’ app. Directions were also issued to register workers under relevant schemes of the State Safai Karmachari Development Corporation and facilitate the delivery of benefits.

The meeting decided that the demands submitted by pourakarmika organisations would be taken up with the Special Commissioner (Welfare) and reviewed in detail.