India Recognizes Wastepickers on Labour Day 2025 with Landmark MoSJE–UNDP Agreement

New Delhi: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to formally recognize and uplift wastepickers across India. The agreement marks a significant step toward improving the socio-economic conditions of wastepickers by ensuring access to finance, technology, and a safe, sustainable work environment.

The LoA was exchanged between Dr. Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative in India, and Amit Yadav, Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE), at a ceremony attended by Smt. Yogita Swaroop, Senior Economic Advisor, DoSJE, and P.K. Singh, Managing Director of the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).

As part of the collaboration, the UNDP will financially support the establishment of State Project Management Units (PMUs) to strengthen coordination under the NAMASTE Scheme—a flagship initiative aimed at the formal inclusion and empowerment of sanitation workers and wastepickers. This step is expected to significantly improve the effectiveness and delivery of scheme objectives at the state level.

From 2024–25, wastepickers have been formally added as a component under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme. The initiative aims to enumerate and register 2.5 lakh wastepickers across India, enabling their access to a wide range of welfare measures including:

• Occupational photo ID cards for formal recognition
• Health insurance under Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY
• Skill training and upgradation programs
• Provision of PPE kits and capital subsidies for waste collection vehicles
• Support for forming wastepicker collectives and managing Decentralized Waste Collection Centers (DWCCs)

Highlighting the early progress of the initiative, officials noted that over 5,000 wastepickers have already been profiled across several states using a dedicated NAMASTE mobile application. This digital approach ensures transparency and efficient delivery of benefits, creating a centralized and accessible database for continuous outreach.

This Labour Day announcement not only celebrates the contribution of wastepickers in waste collection, recovery, and recycling, but also underscores the government’s commitment to bringing them into the fold of formal labour protection and opportunity.