The BBMP is yet to distribute the identity cards of sanitation workers. The last time that happened was in 2011.
Story so far: In 2011, the BBMP had given 10,000 waste pickers their identity cards. This is out of around 25,000 sanitation workers in the city. Now, the 10,000 that got their IDs say that the civic body hasn’t renewed them since.
- The issue with that is the IDs have a validity period of 10 years.
- Unsurprisingly, the renewal process for those IDs hasn’t even started yet and most of those documents are on the verge of becoming obsolete.
Why it matters: As per a report from the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, the number of waste pickers in the city ranges from 15,000 to 25,000. All of them live in poverty and continue to work in abysmal conditions. Without any proper ID, they cannot access basic facilities like healthcare, pensions and banking.
Official response: According to the BBMP, they have done their work in getting the ID cards out there and the reissuing process will begin soon.