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Part-I

CHAPTER I

THE INFORMAL SECTOR IN INDIA

1.1 INTRODUCTION

India is fast urbanizing, with approximately 50% of its population projected

to live in urban conglomerations by 2030. If current trends are any

indication, then it is likely that a significant number of these people will

continue to work in the informal sector.

The life of the informal sector workers, particularly women, is filled withhardships and difficulties due to various reasons, especially in a country

like India where there is little social security for the informal sector workers.

This work is an attempt to look into the difficulties faced by the Waste

Collectors and Scrap Traders of informal sector workers and also to explore

the changes that happen in the lives of such workers through trade unions,

non-governmental organisations and other similar social movements. Kahija

a non-governmental organisation, is considered as a successful case studyin this work.

1.2 THE INFORMAL ECONOMY

The term ―informal economy‖ is a new one. Earlier, ―informal sector‖ or

―unorganised sector‖ was the term used to represent the workers who do not

have any protection of the labour laws. But, later research scholars from

various countries and International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreed to the

fact that the informal sector also contributes to the economy of a country.

Moreover, there is a strong relationship between the formal sector and

informal sector. Most of the works of the formal sector are outsourced to the

informal sector. Formal sector by itself find it difficult to survive as they are

more profit-oriented. They are able to find cheap labour in the informal

sector. So an overlapping of the work is visible. There is no argument on the

fact that the informal sector contributes to the progress of the country. So



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the appropriate term for this sector has been accepted world wide as

―Informal Economy‖. Informal economy is very vast and diverse in its nature.

There are three dominant schools of thought about the informal economy.

The dualist school, popularised by the ILO in the 1970s, considers informalsector as distinct and not related to the formal sector. According to this

school of thought, informal economy provides income for the poor at the

time of crisis. The structuralist school was popularised by Caroline Moser

and Alejandro Portes in the late 1970s and 1980s. This school establishes a

connection between the formal sector and the informal sector. Also informal

sector increases the competitiveness among large firms by reducing labour

and input costs. The legalist school was popularised by Hernando de Soto in1980s and 1990s. According to this school, the informal sector consists of

micro-entrepreneurs who choose to operate informally to avoid the costs,

time and effort of formal registration.

The workers who come under informal economy can be broadly classified as,

Employer:

a) Owners of informal enterprises

b) Owner operators of informal enterprises

Self-Employed:

a) Own-account workers

b) Heads of family businesses

c) Unpaid family workers

Wage Workers:

a) Employees of Informal Enterprises

b) Casual Workers without a Fixed Employer

c) Home-Based Workers

d) Domestic Workers

e) Temporary and Part-Time Workers

f) Unregistered Workers

There are various definitions for the informal sector in India. According to

the Central Statistical Organisation, all unincorporated enterprises and

household industries (other than organized ones) which are not regulated by



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law and which do not maintain annual accounts or balance sheet constitute

the unorganised sector . The Directorate General of Employment and Training

(DGET) defines the organized sector as comprising all establishments in the

private sector, which employ 10 or more persons. By implication of this definition, informal sector is comprised of enterprises

with less than 10 employees. These are not a) organised systematically, b)

made formal through mandatory registration or license, c) covered by

legislation to protect minimum labour standards in employment and

(development) unionized .

1.3 INFORMAL SECTOR- INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Informal sector in India is broadly characterized as consisting of units

engaged in the production of goods and services with the primary objectives

of generating employment and incomes to the persons concern. These units

typically operate at low level of organisation, with little or no division

between labour and capital as factors of production and on a small scale.

Labour relations, where they exist, are based mostly on casual employment,

kinship or personal or social relations rather than contractual arrangements

with formal guarantees. Thus, production units in informal sector are not

constituted as separate legal entities independently of the household or

house hold members that own them and for which no complete sets of

accounts are available which would permit a clear distinction of the

production activities of the enterprises from the other activities of their

owners. The owners of their production units have to raise the finance at

their own risk and are personally liable, without limit, for any debts or

obligations incurred in the production process. Expenditure for production

is often indistinguishable from household expenditure. For statistical

purpose, the informal sector is regarded as a group of production units,

which form part of the household sector as household enterprises or

equivalently, unincorporated enterprises owned by households.

In India, the term informal sector has not been used in the official statistics

or in the National Accounts Statistics (NAS). The terms used in the Indian



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NAS are ‗organised‘ and ‗unorganised‘ sectors. The organised sector

comprises enterprises for which the statistics are available from the budget

documents or reports etc. On the other hand the unorganised sector refers

to those enterprises whose activities or collection of data is not regulatedunder any legal provision or do not maintain any regular accounts. In the

unorganised sector, in addition to the unincorporated proprieties or

partnership enterprises or partnership enterprises, enterprises run by

cooperative societies, trust, private and limited companies are also covered.

The informal sector can therefore, be considered as a sub-set of the

unorganised sector.

1.4 MAGNITUDE OF WORKFORCE ENGAGED IN THE

UNORGANISED/INFORMAL SECTOR.

The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) carried out a sample

survey in 1999-2000 and its results showed that out of total workforce of

397 million, only 28 million workers are employed in the organised sector

and remaining in the unorganised sector. It reveals that over a decade, the

employment in the organised sector has been almost stagnant or slightly

declined.

In the light of definition of informal sector encompassing private

unincorporated enterprises as mentioned above, NSS 55th

round, 1999-2000

also covered non-agricultural enterprises in the informal sector in India. As

per survey, there were 44.35 million enterprises and 79.71 million workers

employed thereof in the non-agricultural informal sector of the economy.

Among these 25.01 million enterprises employing 39.74 million workers

were in rural areas whereas 19.34 million enterprises with 39.97 million

workers in the urban area. Among the workers engaged in the informal

sector, 70.21 million are full time and 9.5 million part times. Percentage of

female workers to the total workers is 20.2 percent.



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1.5 RELEVANCY OF THE INFORMAL SECTOR IN

INDIAN CONTEXT.

Broadly, the informal sector provides income-earning opportunities for a

larger number of workers. In India, there is large magnitude of workforce

getting their livelihood from the informal sector. The enactment of

legislations and other measures to bring them under the regulatory and

social protection instruments will adversely affect the existing mechanism

prevailing in the informal sector as it would lead to market imperfections

creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the market led economy.

Besides, it requires huge infrastructural and institutional arrangements

involving financial implications beyond the capacity of the Government in

the changing scenario all over the world. The Government has to play a role

of facilitator and promoter so that the workers employed in the informal

sector are able to get requisite level of protection and security to have decent

work environment enabling them to express their skills fully and according

to their capabilities necessary for enhancing the competitiveness of their

outputs and thereby raising their income and socio-economic status.



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1.6 IMPORTANCE OF INFORMAL SECTOR IN INDIAN

ECONOMY.

About 370 million workers constituting 92% of the total workforce in a

country were employed in the unorganized sector as per NSS Survey 1999-

2000. It plays a vital role in terms of providing employment opportunity to

large segment of the working force in the country and contributes to the

national product significantly. The contribution of the unorganised sector to

the net domestic product and its share in the total NDP at current prices

has been over 60%. In the matter of savings the share of household sector in

the total gross domestic saving mainly unorganised sector is about three

fourth.

Thus unorganised sector has a crucial role in our economy in terms of

employment and its contribution to the National Domestic Product, savings

and capital formation. At present Indian Economy is passing through a

process of economic reforms and liberalization. During the process, merger,

integration of various firms within the industry and up gradation of

technology and other innovative measures take place to enhance

competitiveness of the output both in terms of cost and qualitative to

compete in the international market. The low inefficient units either wither

away or merge with other ones performing better. In this situation, there is a

special need to take care of the interests of the workers by providing them

training, upgrading their skills, and other measures to enable them to find

new avenue of employment, improve their productivity in the existing

employment, necessary to enhance the competitiveness of their product

both in terms of quality and cost which would also help in improving their

income and thereby raising their socio economic status. It has been

experienced that formal sector could not provide adequate opportunities to

accommodate the workforce in the country and informal sector has been

providing employment for their subsistence and survival. Keeping in view

the existing economic scenario, the unorganised sector will expand further

in the years to come. Thus, it needs to be strengthened and activated so that

it could act as a vehicle of employment provider and social development.



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PART-I

CHAPTER II

WASTE PICKERS AND SCRAP COLLECTORS

BELONGING TO INFORMAL SECTOR

2.1 RECYCLING INDUSTRY IN INDIA

Waste pickers and scrap collectors render an important service to urban

society by removing the waste, thereby contributing to public health and

sanitation and environmental sustainability while providing a cheap source

of raw materials to industry. Although no reliable data regarding the

number of people engaged in the trade and the total income generated is

available, about 1-2 percent of the world‘s urban population sustain their

livelihood by collecting and recycling paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal

waste.

VALUE CHAIN OF RECYCLING INDUSTRYIndia produces recyclable wastes worth Rs.20, 280 crore a year (The

Economic Times, 18 December 2007), of which only 40 percent is utilized by

the recycling industry. The recycling industry sources waste mainly from

waste traders and through imports.

WASTE FROM WASTE TRADERS

Waste disposed of by residential and non-residential units are collected by

traders/contractors directly or supplied by kabadiwalas and waste pickers.

Households usually dispose of two types of waste:

1. Priced waste (also called fresh waste): Households collect this waste and

sell them to kabadiwalas at the prevailing market rates (linked to the

international metal markets to an extent). This type of waste includes

newspapers, magazines, bottles, carton boxes and metals.

2. Unpriced waste: Unpriced wastes are those which households dispose

every day, such as wet waste, soiled/torn paper and plastics. Waste pickers

collect these wastes from houses, streets, neighbourhoods, industrial areas,

offices and dumping grounds.



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Priced, as well as unpriced, wastes are sorted and then sold to waste

traders/ processors. Processors then transport the stock to a small scrap

yard, where glass bottles and plastic bags are segregated by colour, and

metals by composition (brass, zinc, aluminium, copper, etc.), given theirdifferent prices.

Metal scraps are often sold to metal merchants locally, who sell the

segregated brass, copper and zinc scrap to handicraft manufacturers in

south and north India; aluminium scrap is often sold to the ‗secondary

industry‘. Steel and iron scrap is often re-melted by small foundries, and

newspapers are segregated by grade, colour, etc., and are sold to paper mills

for re-processing. Glass beverage bottles are often sold back to beveragecompanies for refilling and broken glass goes to bottle makers for making

new ones.

WASTE THROUGH IMPORTS

India imports scrap aluminium, copper, ferrous, plastics and paper and

pulp. The US leads the list of countries that export scrap steel, followed by

Germany, France, Sweden, Italy and Belgium. However, according to the

Department of Commerce, barring ferrous and paper waste, waste imports

fell in during 2008-2009.

Source: Department of Commerce, Government of India

The collapse of the recycling industry has reduced the demand for waste

and, in turn, their prices. China, one of the major importers of recycled

waste, has reduced its imports, which has forced major recycled waste

exporters to increase shipments to India. Indian traders imported more



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waste to take advantage of cheaper prices. According to the Ministry of

Commerce and Industry, waste paper imports increased 7.26 percent, while

price per ton.

2.2 INFORMAL RECYCLING SECTOR IN INDIARecycling in India is largely undertaken by a huge mass of workers involved

in the informal sector. This sector includes waste pickers, small kabaris

(small dealers in waste), thiawalas (collectors) and big kabaris (larger dealers

in waste). It has been seen that while the urban poor produce the least

amount of waste, they live in areas that have limited, or no waste handling

facilities, as well as inadequate service delivery. Additionally, waste is

generally dumped on the outskirts of the city where the poor also live.

Almost all of the recycling is achieved through the informal sector, which

comprises waste pickers, small buyers, a host of agents and finally, the

recyclers. Hence, while recycling is carried out by the poor and offers them a

livelihood, it is fraught with risk. The immediate burden of the toxic waste is

borne by them since there are no satisfactory systems or facilities in place,

which can handle waste generation.

Although waste pickers and scrap collectors constitute the backbone of the

waste collection process in Ahmedabad, small kabaris are among of the

most critical components in the chain. They buy the waste from waste

pickers and sell it to big kabaris who deal with specific items and materials.

The informal sector of recycling works like a pyramid. The first layer

comprises several hundred thousand men, women and children in urban

pockets who mine garbage heaps, landfills and bins for recyclable wastes

like plastics, paper and metals. Most waste pickers do not use any

implements, and often sift through heaps of garbage with their bare hands.

The recyclable wastes are put into large High-density polyethylene (HDPE)

sewn bags (that waste pickers make at home) and loaded onto cycles, cycle-

rickshaws or even on their backs. The waste that they collect is then

segregated near junk shops, in dhalaos , or local dumpsites. The second

layer is made up of the small middlemen, often poor themselves, who buy

waste from waste pickers. Their payments determine the earnings of waste

pickers. They, in turn, sell the waste to the third layer, comprising large



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buyers who own huge godowns and deal with only one material. Finally, at

the top, devouring all the labour and materials from below are the actual

recyclers themselves. Most of the city interacts with the first and the second

layers, whose labour actually propels recycling in India. Many of them workin groups based on family bonds, kinship and simply companionship borne

out of living in the same area. These bonds are critical for their working.

Since the sector is not formally recognized, the people involved in it do not

have access to social security, medical benefits or housing. Their work is

also considered illegal by the police, as the sector has not been officially

appointed for this task or is not employed by anyone.

Source: www.sewa.org



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2.3 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INFORMAL SECTOR

IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

Historically solid waste management in India has been the obligatory

responsibility of the municipal bodies or their equivalent, during the era

when there were no municipal bodies. In the municipal bodies across the

country, the conservancy staff that carried out solid waste collection and

transport activities was primarily from the Dalits and other socially excluded

communities. As also those who carried out any work related to garbage,

carcass handling and human excreta.

There is not much historical literature on the informal sector in solid waste

management in India. What does exist are snippets of information reported

in different studies that have been culled out of other studies. The socio-

economic survey of Pune done by Gadgils in 1937 mentions the presence of

Mahars who traded in used oil tins in the second hand goods market. There

are reported to have been waste paper collectors during the rule of the

Peshwas.



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2.4 THE STRUCTURE OF RECYCLING SECTOR

The recycling sector is structured in the form of a pyramid, with the waste-

pickers/scrap collectors at the base and the reprocessors perched at the

apex. The waste-pickers engage in the ―free‖ collection of scrap from

municipal garbage bins and dumps. Marginally above them are the itinerant

buyers who purchase small quantities of scrap from households. In

Ahmedabad, some traders also called Pastiwalas buy waste paper and

electronic waste, typically from commercial establishments. Such traders

work out of a fixed, open space where they sit and carry out their

operations. Between the scrap collectors and the re processors are various

levels of traders including retailers, stockiest and wholesalers, most of them

are registered under the Shops and Establishments Act.

STRUCTURE OF WASTE RECYCLING SECTOR

Source: Rising from the Waste, report by Committee for Asian Women



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2.5 CATEGORIES OF SCRAP COLLECTOR

Scrap collection is the first stage in the recycling sector. In India, it is

undertaken by two categories of workers, waste-pickers and itinerant

buyers. Waste-pickers retrieve paper, plastic, metal and glass scrap from

garbage bins or receptacles that are provided by the municipalities for the

disposal of garbage on the street, and from landfill sites where the collected

garbage is transported and dumped. Itinerant buyers purchase small

quantities of scrap from households, offices, shops and other small

commercial establishments. Further there are two types of itinerant buyers

differentiated on the basis of gender and their tools of trade. The women

itinerant buyers for example carry baskets on their heads while the men use

push carts to store the collected goods. All categories of scrap collectors

rudimentarily sort and then sell the collected scrap commodities to retail

scrap establishments by weight or unit.

According to World Bank, an estimated one percent of the urban population

in developing countries earns a living through waste collection and/or

recycling and significant number is women. The city of Ahmedabad accounts

for 40 percent of the urban poor and a significant number of them are

engaged in waste picking activity. There are around 40,000 waste pickers in

Ahmedabad, around 2400 tons of waste is disposed daily, of which 300 to

400 tons of waste is collected by the women waste pickers. Waste

collected/picked by them include: paper, plastic items, iron and steel, wood,

old cloth, glass bottles.



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2.6 CATEGORIES OF SCRAP TRADERS

The retail traders form the cutting edge level of the scrap trade. Most often

they are located in slums with significant populations of scrap collectors.

They have a direct relationship with the scrap collectors from whom they

purchase scrap. Stocking and segregation is the first level of wholesale

trade. Stockiest are always also retail traders. Then there are the wholesale

traders who specialise in certain commodities. Trade in commodities such

as grain, agricultural produce, cotton and textiles, steel and non-ferrous

metals, hardware and timber/wood is well established and markets exist for

all these commodities. This is not so in the case of scrap.18 Trade in scrap

is relatively invisible and unrecognised.

In Ahmedabad, there are no geographical areas designated as scrap

markets. The traders are not part of associations. The scrap trade is

generally believed to have a very low status within the hierarchy of

commodity trading, regardless of the profit potential. It has no

respectability. One of the reasons is that scrap is collected from garbage and

therefore considered ―dirty‖. The retail trade involves daily interaction with

people who are looked upon as ―low-caste, uncouth, foul mouthed, the scum

of society”. Nonetheless, the trade operates with the active support and

patronage of the political class.



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2.7 REPROCESSING

Processing and reprocessing industries that source scrap are usually in both

the informal and the formal economy. Plastics, electronic waste, are typically

in the informal sector while paper, cardboard, metals and glass are in the

formal sector. A wide variety of enterprises utilise scrap commodities as raw

material. In terms of size the range extends from small, registered

enterprises in the case of plastic bags to medium size labour intensive

small-scale industries for road scrap (waste paper) to the large modern

automated multinational factories.

2.8 CONCLUSION

In this chapter we have examined the dimensions of the informal sector in

general as well as with specific reference to the informal sector in waste. For

the purposes of this study, the term ―informal‖ refers to those who generally

make a living from solid waste but are not formally in charge of providing

the service i.e. having contracts with a municipality or being paid by it.

Therefore, normally a cooperative working under a contract with the

municipality should not be regarded as ―informal‖ whereas a co-operative

working without recognition of the official system is part of the informal

sector. However, within this study and due to the fact that in the past

various informal groups were transformed in formal ones, these groups

(cooperatives or enterprises of various kinds) have been covered within the

study.



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PART-I

CHAPTER III

THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK

3.1 INTRODUCTION

The recycling industry provides employment to a large number of workers.

Waste picking & Scrap collecting ranks lowest in the hierarchy of urban

informal occupations and a large number of those employed in this

occupation are women and children.Illiterate, unskilled persons, migrants, those lowest in the caste hierarchy

and the poorest of the poor are predominantly work as waste pickers, as

they are unable to find any other kind of employment. Currently, many of

them collect waste from landfills dotting urban spaces.

Efforts on in several parts of the country, notably Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad,

to unionise the workers into cooperatives and simultaneously introduce a

system whereby waste pickers collect at source recyclable waste fromhouses, institutions, shops and establishments.

Estimates of the total number of waste pickers in the country are not easily

available. However, some estimates, city wise have been recorded in some

studies.

In Ahmedabad city alone there are an estimated 30,000 waste pickers – a

large proportion of them are women and children. In the state of Gujarat

overall there are estimated to be over 100,000 waste pickers.

Another study of Delhi estimates that the numbers of waste pickers in Delhi

alone would be approximately 100,000. The total population of waste

collectors in Pune is estimated to be 6,000, according to one study, 2 of

whom 72 per cent are women.

Generally, there is no employer-employee relationship in this trade even

though it is possible that some of the waste picking & Scrap Collecting

activity is organized by contractors. ‗ Waste pickers & Scrap Collectors are

considered to be self-employed having no legally tenable employer-employee



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relationship either with the municipalities or the with scrap traders. They

are not paid by the municipalities while with the waste traders the

relationship is a sale-purchase transaction, at most a patron-client

relationship built on years of dealing with the same scrap trader. No socialsecurity benefits are available to workers in this sector. However, with the

changing profile of the waste sector, particularly with the entry of e-waste

which has deposits of precious metal, the actors in the recycling industry

are fast evolving. Waste, now has recyclable material that is very valuable.

3.2 LEGISLATING FOR WASTE PICKERS

The Environment Protection Act, 1986 is the umbrella Act that pertains

to the management of solid waste in the country. Municipalities are required

by the respective municipal laws to handle and manage solid waste.

The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules passed

in January 2000 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 by the

Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India, after

directions from the Supreme Court of India, mandated a comprehensive

policy for collecting, handling and managing solid waste.

The Rules direct the municipalities in 41 Class I municipalities to extend

their mandatory responsibility (collection from common points) and

undertake measures for door-step collection of waste and citizens education

for source segregation.

Although the Rules do not make specific mention of waste pickers, they are

explicit in offering a wide range of choices to the municipalities in the

systems that they may want to adopt depending upon local conditions.

Contracting out the system of doorstep garbage collection, partly or fully, to

both local and multinational operators is the most popular because there is

a strong lobby that believes that privatisation of garbage collection is

cheaper and more efficient. Frequently these measures displace waste-

pickers as the contracting party now has direct control over the waste and

its disposal.

The National Environment Policy, 2006 attempts to integrate the waste

pickers into the waste collection system when it states, ―Give legal



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recognition to, and strengthen the informal sector systems of collection and

recycling of various materials. In particular enhance their access to

institutional finance and relevant technologies‖ (Section 5.2.8) Part (iii)

Action Plan E) Rules have been enacted for specific categories of waste, theirmanagement and handling.

In 1998, the Biomedical Rules (Management and Handling) and the

Hazardous

Waste (Management and Handling) Rules have been notified by the

Government of India. These seek to regulate all institutions generating bio-

medical waste and industrial units generating hazardous waste respectively.In 1999, the Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules was enacted

which was subsequently amended in 2003.

The Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 lays down

regulations for the handling of this hazardous waste.

In 2001 waste picking was included in the schedule of hazardous

occupations

Prohibited from employing children under the Child Labour (Prohibition

and regulation) Act, 1986 .

3.3 THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

The Constitution of India provides the overarching framework for solid waste

management as well as environment protection. Article 243 (W) of the

Constitution of India specifies the powers, authority and responsibility of the

Municipalities. The Article provides for the State government to empower

Municipalities to carry out the functions listed in the Twelfth Schedule of

the Constitution. The functions that are relevant to the informal sector in

solid waste management are Public health, sanitation conservancy and solid

waste management (No.6) Urban forestry, protection of the environment and

promotion of ecological aspects (No.8), Safeguarding the interests of weaker

sections of society (No.9)Urban poverty alleviation (No.11)



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Article 51(A) part 4A of the Indian Constitution has identified 'protection and

improvement' of the environment as fundamental duty of citizens. Hence,

the citizens must co-operate with the Urban Local Bodies to protect the

environment. After a series of petitions filed by individuals andorganizations, the Supreme Court rulings have included 'clean and green

environment' in Article 21 (Protection of Life and Personal Liberty) of the

Indian Constitution.

The present legislative framework is broadly contained in the Environment

Protection Act, 1986; the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act,

1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The

Environment Protection Act of 1986 is the umbrella Act that pertains to themanagement of solid waste. Solid waste management including collection,

transport and disposal was required to be carried out by the Municipalities

under the respective Municipal Acts. There were no other rules and

regulations prescribed till the Hon. Supreme Court of India issued directives

to the Government regarding the framing of rules because citizens started

approaching the courts for relief in these matters.

In the year 2000, the Municipal Solid Waste (Collection and Handling) Rules

(henceforth referred to as MSW rules) under the above Act, came into effect.

The rules not only acknowledge the importance of waste segregation and

recycling, but also mandate that these must occur. They emphasize the

importance of technology, monitoring, and conformance to standards in

SWM. Recycling is described as the process of transforming segregated solid

wastes into raw materials for producing new products, which may or may

not be similar to original products. The legislation also allows for

incineration and pelletization with or without energy recovery to be labeled

as recycling. Despite the vital role of the informal sector in segregation and

recycling of solid waste, the legislation is conspicuously silent on any

mention of the informal sector.

The MSW Rules are not prescriptive but offer a range of non-hierarchical

options that individual municipalities can choose from. Given the complexity

of municipal decision making processes, the non-directiveness of the rules



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are both a boon and a bane. For example, the Rules urge segregation and

recycling but fail to expressly acknowledge that the informal sector actors

already undertake these activities in efficient and cost-effective ways. By

allowing the use of technologies such as incineration, the Rules unwittinglypromote the displacement of waste pickers and waste handlers in the

informal sector, since incinerators compete with these workers for waste of

high calorific value. Similarly, the emphasis on privatized door-to-door

collection of household garbage is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it

provides a window of opportunity to waste pickers to become the private

actors who undertake door-to-door collection; on the other hand, it allows

for Municipalities to outsource this task to large corporate players, therebydisplacing the waste pickers and exacerbating urban poverty and inequity.

Ultimately, the Rules fail to connect Solid Waste Management policy to

existing good practices such as segregation and recycling by informal sector

actors.

Thereafter, the Government of India also brought out a slew of regulations21

on other types of waste such as plastics (particularly plastic bags) and

hazardous waste like batteries. Some of these related to the import of plastic

waste from other countries for processing in the recycling markets and

industries in India. There was growing recognition in policy circles that

informal sector actors were necessary to urban recycling, although it was

grudging and failed to address the informal sector’s own needs.

A Manual on Municipal Solid Waste Management, 2000 was prepared by an

Expert Committee constituted by the Ministry of Urban Development and

Poverty Alleviation, Government of India, after considerable deliberation.While not a policy directive, it is the first document of its kind and has been

extensively used by Urban Local Bodies across India. The manual focuses

on operational issues. It recommends recovery, sorting and recycling of

materials such as glass, paper and metal, for an economically and

environmentally sustainable waste management system. In Section 10.7.7

titled Collection of Duly Segregated Recyclable and Non Biodegradable Waste

from Households, it is specifically mentioned that waste pickers should beorganised; recognised through issue of identity cards; provided bags and



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tools and allotted the work of door to door collection of waste through NGOs.

The manual designates recycling as next only to waste reduction as a waste

management option.

National Environment Policy passed in 2006 contains clauses pertaining tothe informal sector that refer to: developing private-public partnerships on

payments by users, cleaning up pre-existing toxic/hazardous waste dumps,

strengthening capacities of local bodies for segregation recycling and giving

legal recognition to informal sector systems.

3.4 STATE LEGISLATION

Among the Indian states the Government of Maharashtra has been fairly

responsive to the inclusion of waste pickers. This has largely been on

account of the presence of mass organisation of waste pickers in Pune and

Mumbai and other cities. State government resolutions are important

decisions or government orders. Quite often they are executable instruments

that stem from laws and regulations. In 1999 the Maharashtra Government

issued an order to Municipalities directing them to issue identity cards to

waste pickers. This was followed by another order in 2002 directing

municipalities to allot the work of collecting waste from homes, shops and

market places to organisations and cooperatives of waste pickers and to

initiate such organisations where they did not exist.

The crisis caused by the Mumbai floods in 2005 spurred the Government of

Maharashtra into passing the Maharashtra Non-biodegradable Garbage

(Control) Ordinance, 200626 for regulating handling of non-biodegradable

waste. The Ordinance was converted into an Act soon after. (See Annexure

II.2 and II.3 for details) The first of its kind in India, this law relating to the

collection, handling and disposal of non-biodegradable waste is explicit in

setting out the responsibilities of various stakeholders including citizens. It

acknowledges the value of recycling and waste pickers. The Rules framed to

implement the Act provides for recycling sheds to be allotted to waste

pickers.

Pursuant to the Act the Government of Maharashtra issued Government

Order of 2006 framing an exhaustive Action Plan for the Implementation of



22

the MSW Rules 2000 in municipalities. The plan favours not only integration

of the informal sector but also sets out comprehensive guidelines for

integrated solid waste management. Maharashtra State legislation is a

particularly forward-looking policy in terms of creating an enablingenvironment for informal sector waste recyclers. Whether, it has been

emulated by any other State till date, is not known.

3.5 MUNICIPAL LAWS

Municipalities in India are subject to the different municipal laws under

which they have been constituted. AMC had initiated & implemented a

concept of Public Private Partnership for collection of waste at point of its

generation (i.e. door to door waste collection). In Ahmedabad there are total

1381907 properties, 1286188 residential and 95719 commercial properties.

Among these 1198101 Residential properties, i.e. 93% and 44101

Commercial properties, i.e. 46% were covered under daily door to door waste

collection system. 1075 Resident Welfare Associations & NGOs were working

in this system.

3.6 LEGISLATION DIRECTLY RELATED TO WASTE

RECYCLERS LIVELIHOODS AND SOCIAL

SECURITY:

1. The Unorganized Sector Workers’ Bill. - Ministry of Labour

This seeks to enable the unorganized sector to access social security such as

pension, insurance etc. The Bill names waste pickers as one set of

recipients, but does not mention other informal sector recyclers. While the

Bill is still not passed, it has been found to be lacking in many ways. The

boards for the workers are a centralized board, instead of multiple boards

that can better handle a group of similar professions. The funds allocated

are inadequate for the sector and that even the welfare measures are not

clearly defined and could therefore amount to unsubstantial gains.



23

2. The Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rojgar Yojna

Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation

This scheme offers a good fit to informal sector waste pickers and small waste dealers, as it seeks to empower communities, build community

networks and offer several benefits to self employed workers. It is applicable

to all urban towns in India and focuses on the urban poor, where it assists

in training and setting up of self-employment ventures.

3. Gujarat State Legislation: Here, a government order of 1982 turned over

the basket waste in government offices to waste pickers. The chief target

group was organized women waste pickers.4. Maharashta State Legislation: There has been some state wise

legislation on the issue as well. Of these, the order of the Government of

Maharashtra; Water Supply and Sanitation Department (Government

Circular No: Ghakavya 1001/ Pra. Kra 546/ Papu-22 Mantralaya Mumbai:

5 January, 2002) is perhaps the most impressive in its understanding of the

issue.

In brief, it states that:

The unorganized rag pickers (term used in order )

Collecting waste in different parts of the city should be organized with the

help of the non-government organizations and register a cooperative. The

local self government should take an initiative to get these cooperatives

registered. Registered rag pickers organization should be allotted the work of

collecting waste in the city parts/wards with the help of nongovernment

organizations.

While allotting work to these cooperatives to collect waste from various

places in the city, the citizens should be informed of this method. Also

discussions should be held with non-government organizations, eminent

citizens, Mahila Mandals and people‘s representatives.

Those rag pickers, who have not registered in the cooperative, can also be,

under exceptional circumstances, allowed to collect waste on an individual

basis after registering themselves.



24

The civic authority should give preference to the cooperatives formed by

the rag pickers to collect dry waste.

If the city has a waste processing unit, the waste collected by the rag

pickers should be used for the same or the rag pickers should have thefreedom to sell it in the market. This will provide income to the rag pickers

and help improve their living standard.

Civic authorities / NGOs should issue identification cards to the

registered rag pickers. This will enable the citizens to know the registered

rag pickers.

The civic authority / NGO should allot a specific place, as per the

situation, and give the task to the registered rag pickers or theirorganizations to collect waste from 250-300 homes.

The task of collecting Bio-Medical waste and polluted/ toxic waste should

not be allotted to the rag pickers.

Civic authorities should make provision for collecting general waste and bio

medical waste separately and storing it and disposing it and monitor it

effectively.

3.7 CONCLUSION There is no clear policy for waste pickers or even efforts to legislate to

protect the rights of the waste pickers, in India. The right to waste and

access to waste, need to be envisaged in a holistic solid waste management

system that gives due recognition and protection to the waste picker. An

integrated waste management system, in which segregation at source

enables better management of waste and provides employment with better

working conditions to waste pickers, needs to be mandated by law for all

local bodies across the country.



25

PART-II

Chapter-IV

RESEARCH ORGANISATION: KAHIJA

4.1 HISTORY

Just after celebrating the 63 years of India Independence, We could

understand the goals, which were set during the Independence such as

eradication of poverty, education to all, social and legal securities,

empowerment of women etc. In spite of India being a democratic country, itproves to be only in papers.

To sustain the democracy, government has taken steps through

liberalization, decentralization almost in all fields. These modern concepts

proved to be more appropriate even for none Governmental agencies. Due to

growing Population it is mere impossible for the government to address

every ones needs. Kahija came in to existence in order to support the goals

of the government.

Hence, to take part in fulfilling these virtues of eradicating Poverty,

education to all, securing people with social and legal assistance, KAHIJA

was born.



26

4.2 OBJECTIVES

The objective of Kahija is to “live and let live", Main highlights of Kahija‘s

objectives are -

To share shoulders among the people living in the urban slums and

industrial areas.

To give them the platform and to create a definite lifestyle.

To make them aware specifically women about the rights, equality,

quality of life.

To make them aware of sentiments, values, morals, education,

technology, etc.

To make them aware about the diseases, causes, and its treatment

and drugs

4.3 VISION

Globalization through IT for UN Reached People & Mainstreaming of Women

and Children those who are deprived from the society through various

programs addressing issues of Health, Education, and social cultural

Development welfare

4.4 MISSION

To unable people to take responsibility for the situation of the deprived

women and children and so motivate them to comfort the situation through

collective action giving an opportunity to realize their full potential.

Empowerment of womenEradication illiteracy among women and children

Improvement in health issues of women and children.

Socio Economic and Cultural Development.

Information and Technology in rural area



27

4.5 WELFARE ACTIVITIES OF KAHIJA

Child Welfare:-

Balwadi

Child Guidance Center

Bal Kalyan kendra

Women Welfare:-

Women's Legal -Aid Center

Awareness on Human Rights,

equality among women folks.

Women empowerment

Youth Welfare Activities:-

Educational Activities.

Social & Cultural

Activities.Sports & Adventurous

Activities.

Youth Inspiration Activities:-

Vocational Training.

Sewing Classes & Handicrafts.

Small Saving Scheme.

Senior Citizens --Day

Centers:-

Library.

Audio--Visual Facilities.

Adult Education and

Nonformula Education,

Centers for Welfare of

Physically Handicapped

and

Publication of

Periodicals.

Ongoing Projects:-

Street Child nonformula education

& Vocational training.

Partnership in Sexual Health

Project.

Women's Legal-Aid Center.

Senior Citizens'-Day Center.

Public Library.

Reproductive and Child Health

Project.



28

4.6 TARGETED AREAS

Ahmedabad railway station (Kalupur, Maninagar, Sabarmathi, &

Vatva).S.T. Bus Stop.

Jamalpur Vegetable & flower Market

Observation home

Lal Darwaja

All the main temples

Vadaj — 500

132ft.ring road (Sardar Patel Market to Vejalpur, Vastrapur,Managers, Sabarmathi) 1000

Kalupur Vegetable market and wholesale market — 200

Sabarmathi to Gandhi Ashram (on the river belt) — 1000

Beggars home and Nari Surakshan Gruth

Naroda

Madhupura

Various slums of Ahmedabad



29

4.7 STRATEGIES OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

COMMUNICATION

KAHIJA communicates through following method to bring a strategic

change:

Focus group discussion.

One-to-one contacts.

Interpersonal communication.

Awareness through different IEC.

Outing camp.Indoors games.

Night shelter.

Street play, audio-video show, exhibition, puppet show.

Counseling for safer sex.

Self-Defense, self protection.

Street play training.

Counseling about other bad habits like drug addiction, tobacco

chewing, Pan Ghutaka, thinner solution.



30

PART-II

Chapter-V

RESEARCH STUDY

5.1 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Significant research has accumulated on the organization of the urban

informal sector in developing economies. Most of the studies focused on

income levels and living standards, aiming to identify the extent and the

mechanism of urban poverty in relation with rural-urban migration.

Little exploration has been made on the living conditions of waste

pickers and scrap collectors dwelling in urban slums of Ahmedabad.

The issue of Solid Waste Management (SWM) has been a widely debated

subject today and has acquired more prominence because of issues related

to unhealthy working conditions and low income.

This study attempts not only to investigate the income levels and living

standards of waste pickers and scrap collectors dwelling in urban slums

of Ahmedabad but also to measure their difficulties and role of ―KAHIJA‖

in supporting women working in these sectors.



31

5.2 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

According to World Bank, an estimated one percent of the urban population

in developing countries earns a living through waste collection and/or

recycling and significant number is women. The city of Ahmedabad accounts

for 40 percent of the urban poor and a significant number of them are

engaged in waste picking activity. There are around 40,000 waste pickers in

Ahmedabad. Around 2400 tons of waste is disposed daily, of which 300 to

400 tons of waste is collected by the women waste pickers. Waste

collected/picked by them include: paper, plastic items, iron and steel, wood,

old cloth, glass bottles. Hence waste pickers and scrap collectors become an

integral part of informal economy. To address their needs, the study has

been undertaken to achieve the following objectives:

1. To study the Socio-economic and demographic background of

the waste pickers and scrap collectors.

2. To find out various problems faced by women working in these

sectors.

3. To find out the contribution of the women waste picker/scrap

collector to the family income.

4. To analyzed the living and working condition of women waste

picker/scrap collector after getting employed.

5. To assess the nature of exploitation and extent of abuse.

6. To find out employer and employee relations.

7. To indentify the bad habits of the children.

8. To suggest measure to solve the problems of women waste

picker/scrap collector and their rehabilitation.



32

5.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

For this purpose I undertook a field research on the activities of residents

in the Shankarbhuvan slums of Ahmedabad, India, who make a living

through the collection of waste materials for use by recycling plants. One

group of them is called "pickers" who just pick up waste thrown away in

public places such as streets and parks. Another group is called

"collectors" who go around households, shops and restaurants to buy

waste. They constitute a bottom layer of the urban informal sector.

Pickers are the poorest of the poor being barely able to stake out

subsistence, whereas collectors are at the fringe of poverty. Yet, they are

making valuable contributions to society by converting unusable waste

into productive resources as well as cleaning the city. We attempt to

measure both their working and living conditions.

However for comprehending the conceptual framework, use of secondary

source has also been made use of extensively. For the purpose of exhaustive

understanding, both formal and informal methods were used. The data

gathered relied primarily on survey and observation method. An attempt was

made to record valid and reliable information the maximum possible extent.

This demanded number of visits to the work place of waste pickers and

scrap collectors and their homes.

Besides this, information was also collected through structured interviews;

some typical case studies have been done for in-depth analysis. This case

intends to provide a more comprehensive picture of the waste pickers and

scrap collectors.



33

5.4 RESEARCH DESIGN

The design of the study is explorative in nature. Exploratory research is a

type of research conducted for a problem that has not been clearly defined.Research helps determine the best research design by data collection

method and selection of subjects. It draws definitive conclusions. Research

also relies on secondary research such as reviewing of available literature

and data, qualitative approaches such as informal discussions with Waste

Pickers and Scrap Collectors of Shankar Bhuvan Slums of Ahmedabad and

more formal approaches through in-depth interviews, focus groups,

projective methods, case studies and pilot studies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_collection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_research

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_studies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_studies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_studies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_studies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_research

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_collection





34

5.5 SAMPLING DESIGN

At the stage of identification, I have identified nearly 422 women‘s working

as either as waste picker or scrap collectors (as per data collected from scrap

traders) in Shankarbhuvan slums of Ahmedabad. They can be broadly

classified as follows:

From nearly 422 women‘s working as either as waste picker or scrap

collectors, I have selected a sample of 50 women‘s for personal interactionand studied working and living conditions of these 50 working women‘s.

56%

4%

22%

18%

TYPES OF WASTE PICKERS AND SCRAP

COLLECTORS

DUMPSITE COLLECTORS

ITENERANT BUYER

SCRAP COLLECTOR

DOORSTEP COLLECTOR



35

5.6 RESEARCH AREA

Slum dwellers constitute a marginalized group in most societies. They do

not have what society considers appropriate relationships with major

institutions of livelihood such as family, education and health. The

continuous exposure to harsh environments and the nature of their

lifestyles make them vulnerable to substance use and this threatens their

mental, physical, social and spiritual wellbeing.

In many regions most of these women use tobacco and other addictive

substances. In addition, these women are confronted with discrimination

and view health and social services with suspicion. Slum dweller live a

transitory life style and are vulnerable to inadequate nutrition, physical

injuries, substance use, and health problems including sexual and

reproductive health problems.

Government has planned to build mega city by destroying most of the slum

houses found in Shankarbhuvan area. The problem has worsened across

the area in recent years because of economic problems, migration issues,

increasing family separations and conflicts.

Still with immense hope and against all odds women waste pickers and

scrap collectors of Shankarbhuvan slum work hard to join the dots and

improve their living conditions.



36

5.7 PILOT STUDY

A pilot scale field survey was conducted with the following objectives:

To get familiar with field work coordinator of KAHIJA working at

Shankar Bhuvan Slum of Ahmedabad

To identify Waste Pickers and Scrap Collectors from Shankar

Bhuvan Slum of Ahmedabad

To estimate the time and effort required for finding respondents

who would agree to answer our questionnaires

To classify Waste Pickers and Scrap Collectors into various

categories

Interacting with them to know their working & living conditions.

To interact with the family members of Waste Pickers and Scrap

Collectors identified.



37

5.8 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

The analysis of the research reported here covers only a part of

geographical area i.e. Shankar bhuvan slums of Ahmedabad.

The findings represented here are of small sample size comprising of

50 women waste pickers and scrap collectors.

There might be deviation in actual data and findings done here due

to small sample size.

At times, there was no enough time to interview respondent as the

interviews were at the peak hours of business, there were restrictions

on the time they spent with me.

Majority of the women waste pickers and scrap collectors surveyed

were associated with Kahija and I was accompanied by Kahija field

work assistant, so there are chances of data being biased.



38

5.9 ANALYSIS OF SURVEY ON WORKING AND LIVING

CONDITIONS OF WASTE PICKERS AND SCRAP

COLLECTORS

(a) PERSONAL PROFILE

1. AGE IDENTIFICATION

Feedback:

Age NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

Less than 14 5

14-20 4

20-30 1130-40 21

40-50 4

50 and above 5

Analysis:

About 42% respondents were in the 30-40 years age group. Since waste

collection/ Scrap Collection does not require any skill, initial capital and

physical strength (except for the ability to walk and collect waste), 10%

respondents were aged 50 years and above. Further, it was observed that

waste picking/ Scrap Collecting as a form of employment was not preferred

by young women, as only 18% of the selected women were below 20 years.

10% 8%

22%

42%

8% 10%

AGE GROUP OF WORKING WOMEN

Less than 14 14-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50 and above



39

2. No. of Family Members

Feedback:

NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN FAMILY NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

Up TO 3 23 TO 5 10

5 TO 7 16

7 AND ABOVE 22

Analysis:

About 44% of the surveyed women were living in a family consisting of more

than 7 family members, 32 percent in a family structure of 5 to 7 persons

and the remaining 24 percent were living in a family with less than 5 family

members.

4%

20%

32%

44%

NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN FAMILY

Up TO 3 3 TO 5 5 TO 7 7 AND ABOVE



40

3. BREAD EARNERS OF FAMILY

Feedback:

TOTAL EARNING MEMBERS IN FAMILY

ONLY 1 112 TO 3 35

MORE THAN 3 4

Analysis:

Nearly 70% of women surveyed had 2 to 3 earning members in the family

while in 22% of cases women waste pickers / scrap collectors were the

only bread winners of the family i.e. they have higher responsibilities of

running their family. Nearly 8% of the women workers responded that

they have more than 3 earning members per family.

22%

70%

8%

TOTAL EARNING MEMBERS IN FAMILY

Only 1 2 TO 3 MORE THAN 3



41

4. MARITAL STATUS

Feedback:

MARITAL STATUS NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

Married 38Unmarried 3

Divorced 1

Widow 9

Analysis:

Nearly 70% of the surveyed women waste pickers and scrap collectors were

married and living with their husbands and children while 6% of surveyed

women were unmarried and noticeably 18% of them was widow. 2% of these

women also comprised of divorced women‘s.

74%

6%

2% 18%

MARITAL STATUS

Married Unmarried Divorced Widow



42

5. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

Feedback:

QUALIFICATION NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

ILLITERATE 48

PRIMARY 2

SECONDARY 0

HIGHER SECONDARY 0

COLLEGE LEVEL 0

Analysis:

The low skill requirements for waste pickers and collectors are reflected in

their low levels of education. Nearly 96% of pickers were illiterate. Only %

of women workers has received education beyond primary grade.

0

10

20

30

40

50

48

2 0 0 0

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION



43

(b) LIVING CONDITIONS

1. Type of House

Feedback:

TYPE OF HOUSE NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

KUCCHA 48

PUKKA 1

STREET DWELLWERS 0

Analysis:

About 98% of the women workers were living in Kuccha house, while the

rest 4% in Pukka Houses. It was also observed that many few of them were

living in rented premises and paid an average monthly rent of Rs. 350.

98%

2%

TYPES OF HOUSE

Kuccha Pukka Street Dwellwers



44

2. COMPLIANTS REGARDING BASIC

AMENITIES

Feedback:

BASIC AMENITIES SUFFERERS

WATER 41

DRAINAGE 44

SANITATION 44

ELECTRICITY 11

Analysis:

Respondents complained regarding lack of basic amenities like Water

connection, Drainage, Sanitation, Electricity supply etc. Nearly 44

respondents have built bathrooms in their houses but due lack of proper

drainage connections by government they are not able to use those

bathrooms. Not able to use washrooms and lack of public washrooms 44

respondents use banks of Sabarmati river for their sanitation purposes.

41

44

44

11

LACK OF BASIC AMENITIES

Water Drainage Sanitation Electricity



45

3. ADDICTION

Feedback:

ADDICTION NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

EATING TOBACO 36

SMOKING 0

DRINKING 0

Analysis:

Nearly 36 women workers comprising of 72% of surveyed population were

addicted to Indian version of tobacco ―Chikni” and the rest 28% of the

women workers were not addicted to any particular thing. Heavy addiction

to Alcohol, Drugs and Cigarettes was not observed amongst the surveyed

waste pickers and scrap collectors.

72%

0%

0%

28%

Addiction

EATING TOBACO SMOKING DRINKING No addiction



46

(c) WORK STRUCTURE ,WAGES & EXPENSES

1. WORKING HOURS

Feedback:

WORKING HOURS NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

LESSTHAN 3 19

3 TO 5 20

5 TO 7 6

MORE THAN 7 5

Analysis:

Women waste pickers and Scrap collectors don‘t work according to any fixed

working hour schedule. They majorly work during the hours when their

children go to school or there is someone at home to take care of their

children. Majority i.e. 40% of women workers work between 3 to 5 hours a

day while nearly 22% of women workers work more than 5 hours a day.

Significant ratio of workers i.e. 38% of them are able to work for less than 3

hours.

38%

40%

12%10%

WORKING HOURS

LESSTHAN 3 3 TO 5 5 TO 7 MORE THAN 7



47

2. TYPES OF WAGES

Feedback:

TYPES OF WAGES NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKER

DAILY 42

WEEKLY 5

MONTHLY 3

Analysis:

Only 6% of women waste pickers and scrap collectors receive wages on a

monthly basis while significant percentage i.e. 84% of women workers get

wages on daily basis. 10% of workers collect their wages weekly. Registers

are maintained at scrap collectors shop for the same purpose.

84%

10%6%

TYPES OF WAGES

DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY



48

3. EARNINGS PER DAY

Feedback:

MONEY EARNED PER DAY NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKER

30-60 36

60-100 12

100-200 2

Analysis:

A large strata of sample surveyed i.e. 72% of women waste pickers and

scrap collectors receives wages as low as 30-67Rs. per day which is much

lesser than minimum wage determined by government. Only 4% of the

surveyed receives daily wages between 100 & 200 Rs. per day. Remaining

24% of women workers receive wages somewhere between 60 to hundred Rs.

72%

24%

4%

MONEY EARNED PER DAY

30-60 60-100 100-200



49

4. MONTHLY MEDICAL EXPENSES

Feedback:

MONTHLY MEDICAL EXPENCE NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKER

LESS THAN 100 RS 11

200-300 26

300-400 4

400-500 3

ABOVE 500 6

Analysis:

Due to unhealthy working environment, Lack of education and knowledge

about safety and cleanliness workers suffer from ailing health conditions

which results in to regular monthly expenses. Same is the case with women

waste pickers and Scrap Collectors dwelling in Shahpur Slums of

Ahmedabad. Nearly 52% of the surveyed women had minimum 200-300 Rs

of medical expenses per month. A significant ratio i.e. 12% of women

workers spent more than 500 Rs on medical treatments and other

medicines.

22%

52%

8%

6%12%

MONTHLY MEDICAL EXPENCE

LESS THAN 100 RS 200-300 300-400 400-500 ABOVE 500



50

5. SAVINGS FROM MONEY EARNED

Feedback:

SAVINGS FROM MONEY EARNED

YES 10

NO 40

Analysis:

Low income, medical expenses and large family size made it impossible for

women waste pickers and scrap collectors save any money from their

income. Majority of women workers i.e. 80% of them were not able to save

any money from their income. 20% of surveyed women workers managed to

save money from their income.

20%

80%

SAVINGS FROM MONEY EARNED

YES NO



51

6. TYPES OF SAVINGS

Feedback:

TYPES OF SAVINGS NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERSNO SAVING 10

KAHIJA SHG 7

SEWA BANK 3

Analysis:

Out of 20% women waste pickers and Scrap Collectors who are able to save

money 14% deposit 50 Rs. Monthly in Kahija Self Help Group and 6%

women workers deposit 10 Rs. Daily to SEWA bank.

14% 6%

80%

TYPES OF SAVINGS

KAHIJA SHG SEWA NO SAVINGS



52

7. DEBT PER HEADFeedback:

DEBT NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

1000-5000 55000-10000 10

10000-20000 20

20000-50000 2

ABOVE 50000 13

Analysis:

Most of the women waste pickers and scrap collectors had taken loans from

relatives or friends, followed by loans from local moneylenders. Majority of

loans were taken to meet expenses for special occasions, like wedding, baby

shower etc. Health issues also lead the women workers to take informal

loans with heavy interest rates. These kinds of problems lead the women

workers to enter a never ending debt cycles. Majority of women workers i.e.

40% of them have debt between10000-20000. Nearly 26% of women workers

have incurred debt more than 50000 Rs. 20% of women workers have nearly

5000 to 10000 Rs. of debt.

10%

20%

40%

4%

26%

DEBT PER HEAD

1000-5000 5000-10000 10000-20000 20000-50000 ABOVE 50000



53

(d) PROBLEMS FACED BY THESE WOMEN WASTE

PICKERS AND SCRAP COLLECTORS

1. HEALTH PROBLEMS

Feedback:

HEALTH PROBLEMS NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS

RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS 10

SKIN PROBLEMS 22

TUBERCULOSIS 4

BACKPAIN 12

Analysis:

Nearly 46% of the women waste pickers and scrap collectors face problems

relating to skin. Back pain and other respiratory problems are other major

health problems caused by lifting heavy weight and working in filthy

environment respectively. Nearly 8% of women workers have mild effect of

Tuberculosis.

21%

46%

8%

25%

HEALTH PROBLEMS

RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS SKIN PROBLEMS TUBERCULOSIS BACKPAIN



54

2. PROBLEMS OF WOMEN WORKERS AT WORK

Feedback:

PROBLEMS OF WOMEN WORKERS

AT WORK

NUMBER OF WOMENWORKERS

HEALTH RISKS 5

LOW INCOME PER DAY 29

NO I CARD 3

NO FIX INCOME 7

NO VEHICLES TO CARRY GOODS/WASTE 6

Analysis:

Women Waste Pickers and Scrap collectors face major problem with the

wages as observed earlier their wages are way lower than minimum wages.

Also no fix income i.e. income security is also a constant problem faced by

surveyed women workers. They also face problems in lifting loads of waste/

scrap hence nearly 12% of workers complained of not having vehicles.

Problems‘ regarding identity issue is major problem faced b y nearly 6% of

women workers.

10%

58%

6%

14%

12%

PROBLEMS AT WORK

HEALTH RISKS

LOW INCOME PER DAY

NO I CARD

NO FIX INCOME

NO VEHICLES TO CARRY

GOODS/WASTE



55

3. OTHER PROBLEMSFeedback:

OTHER PROBLEMS NUMBER OF WOMEN

WORKERS HARASSMENT OF SECURITY GUARDS 15

PROBLEMS DUE TO DOGS 8

FEAR OF BEING ACCUSED AS THIEVES 11

HARASSMENT OF POLICEOFFICIALS/MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS

6

NO CHILD CARE CENTRE TO TAKECARE OF THEIR CHILDREN

10

Analysis:

Majority of women waste pickers/ scrap collectors face harassment of security

guard as they don‘t allow them to enter residential/commercial premises.

Significant strata of women i.e. 22% of the surveyed women fear being accused

as thieves, majorly these women‘s are waste pickers who collect waste from

open bins, municipal or dump yards. As recyclable waste helps to create

income these waste pickers/ scrap collectors are often harassed by police

authorities/ municipal officials. They are concerned about their child‘s safety

and are not able to work for longer hours if their children are alone at home.Hence they expressed a severe need of child day care centre at subsidized rate.

30%

16%22%

12%

20%

OTHER PROBLEMS

HARASSEMENT OF SECURITY

GUARDS

PROBLEMS DUE TO DOGS

FEAR OF BEING ACCUSED AS

THIEVES

HARRASEMENT OF POLICE

OFFICIALS/MUNICIPAL

OFFICIALS

NO CHILD CARE CENTRE TO

TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN



56

(e) SUPPORT OF THESE WOMEN WORKERS

1. BENEFITS OF ANY SCHEMES OF

GOVERNMENT

Feedback:

BENEFITS NUMBER OF WORKING WOMEN

APL CARD 10

BPL CARD 22

NO BENEFITS 18

Analysis:

According to Consumer Protection Act 1986 families having total annual

income above Rs.10,000/- per annum are given APL (Above Poverty Line)

Cards (white colour) and Families having total family income below

Rs.10,000 /-P.A have been identified under BPL (Below Poverty Line)

category. Identification is being done by DRDA for Rural Area and Municipal

Council for Urban Area. Out of total surveyed 50 women waste pickers and

Scrap Collectors nearly 20% of women workers were APL Card Holder while

36% of Women workers were BPL card holder they availed all the benefits of

government given through this card. Nearly 44% of Surveyed women

workers neither had APL card nor BPL Card.

20%

44%

36%

BENEFITS OF ANY SCHEMES OF GOVERNMENT

APL CARD BPL CARD NO BENEFITS



57

2. ASSOCITION WITH NGOFeedback:

NGO NUMBER OF WORKING WOMEN

KAHIJA 38MANAV SADHNA 8

SEWA 4

OTHER 0

Analysis:

Nearly 76% of women waste pickers/ scrap collectors surveyed are

associated with KAHIJA and 16 of the surveyed women are also associated

with Manav Sadhna NGO. 8% of them are also members of Self Employed

Women‘s Association.

76%

16%

8%

0%

ASSOCIATION WITH ANY NGO

KAHIJA MANAV SADHNA SEWA OTHER



58

3. YEARS OF ASSOCIATION WITH KAHIJAFeedback:

YEARS OF ASSOCIATION WITH KAHIJA NUMBER OF WOMEN

WORKERSLESS THAN 2 5

2 TO 4 7

5 TO 7 6

MORE THAN 7 20

Analysis:

Of the 38 surveyed waste picker/ Scrap Collector who are associated with

KAHIJA. Nearly 20 women i.e. 53% of them are associated with KAHIJA formore than 7 years now. 16% of the women workers are associated with

them from 5-7 years. 18% of the surveyed women are associated with them

from 2-4 years.

13%

18%

16%

53%

YEARS OF ASSOCIATION WITH KAHIJA

LESS THAN 2 2 TO 4 5 TO 7 MORE THAN 7



59

4. SUPPORT FROM KAHIJAFeedback:

SUPPORT FROM KAHIJA NUMBER OF

WOMENWORKERS

LEGAL-AID 11

AWARENESS PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN – EMPOWERMENT

22

COUPLE COUNSELING 4

CHILD HEALTH ISSUES 33

PREGNANCY HELP 8

DROP-IN-CENTERS OF THEIR CHILDREN 12

BALWADI FOR THEIR CHILDREN 33

Analysis:

KAHIJA closely work in slums of Ahmedabad to share their shoulders

among the people living in the urban slums and industrial areas and tomake women aware about the rights, equality, and quality of life. Surveyed

women obtain a significant amount of help from KAHIJA. Nearly 33 women

take benefit of KAHIJA‘s child health counseling and take advantage of

Balwadi for their children for better education of their children. KAHIJA

constantly help in Couple Counseling, Pregnancy problems, nearly 12

women take advantage of these services. 22 women regularly attend women

empowerment programmes conducted by KAHIJA.

1122

4338

12

33

SUPPORT FROM KAHIJA

LEGAL-AID

AWARENESS PROGRAMS FOR

WOMEN – EMPOWERMENT

COUPLE COUNSELING

CHILD HEALTH ISSUES

PREGNANCY HELP



60

5.10 DATA PROCESING

The Entire data collected were edited for consistency and

completeness. There was it was coded, processed, and tabulation with

a help of a computer. Frequency, percentage and measures of central

tendency were obtained further analysis and interpretation.



61

PART-II

Chapter-VI

FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS &

CONCLUSION

6.1 KEY FINDINGS

Majority of respondents belonged to 30-40 years age group

Majority of the surveyed women were living in a family consisting of

more than 7 family membersIn 22% of cases women waste pickers / scrap collectors were the

only bread winners of the family i.e. they have higher responsibilities

of running their family.

Nearly 70% of the surveyed women waste pickers and scrap collectors

were married and living with their husbands and children

Nearly 96% of waste pickers and scrap collectors were illiterate

About 98% of the women workers were living in Kuccha house

Respondents complained regarding lack of basic amenities like Water

connection, Drainage, Sanitation, Electricity supply

72% of surveyed women workers were addicted to Indian version of

tobacco ―Chikni”

Women waste pickers and Scrap collectors don‘t work according to

any fixed working hour schedule

Majority of women workers work between 3 to 5 hours a day

84% of women workers get wages on daily basis

72% of women waste pickers and scrap collectors receive wages as low

as 30-67Rs.

Nearly 52% of the surveyed women had minimum 200-300 Rs of

medical expenses per month.

80% of surveyed women were not able to save any money from their

income.



62

Out of 20% women waste pickers and Scrap Collectors who are able to

save money 14% deposit 50 Rs. Monthly in Kahija Self Help Group

and 6% women workers deposit 10 Rs. Daily to SEWA bank.

Majority of women workers i.e. 40% of them have debt between10000-20000.

Nearly 46% of the women waste pickers and scrap collectors face

problems relating to skin.

Major problems faced by women workers at work include low income

per day, no fix income, no proper vehicles and tools to carry waste, no

I cards

Harassment of security guard, Fear being accused as thieves,Harassment by police authorities/ municipal officials are other major

problems faced by respondents

Nearly 44% of Surveyed women workers neither had APL card nor BPL

Card

Nearly 76% of women waste pickers/ scrap collectors surveyed are

associated with KAHIJA

Nearly 20 women of them are associated with KAHIJA for more than 7

years now

KAHIJA constantly help in Couple Counseling, Pregnancy problems,

women empowerment, Child day care



63

6.2 SUGGESTION & RECOMMENDATIONS

(a) SUGGESTION

1. SUGGESTATION TO VARIOUS GOVERNMENTBODIES:

Most waste pickers/ scrap collector sought alternative work and an increase

waste item prices, besides provision to meet expenses incurred on

healthcare and accidents, old-age pensions and funds for their children‘s

education. The following is a list of suggestions for the government to help

the women waste pickers/ scrap collectors:

Provision of social security (food, health, education, work and income),

and special Provision for elderly, widows and separated women

Provision of houses for those residing in rented premises

Increase in waste item prices

2. SUGGESTIONS FOR SCRAP TRADERS The following is a list of suggestions for scrap traders

Increase in waste item prices

Permanent work/job security

Provision of bonus

3. SUGGESTIONS FOR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES

Waste pickers/ scrap collectors are usually looked down upon by local

residents. This is a widespread perception among waste pickers, as many

urged fellow community members to respect them and their work. The

following is a list of suggestions for community members and fellow

residents

Kindly consider waste pickers and scrap collectors as integral part of

society and respect them for whatever they do.



64

4. SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

ORGANIZATIONS/NGOS

Most waste pickers sought alternative work to deal with ever rising

expenses. The following is a list of suggestions for NGOs:

Provision of work/employment/livelihood security

Assistance for increasing the total output of waste picking

Provision of training for enhancing income

Provision of loans to initiate alternative work/employment

(b) RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a list of recommendations to ensure the social and livelihood

security of waste pickers and scrap collectors, which is based on the

findings of the study:

1. REGULATE PRICES OF COLLECTED WASTE

Usually, scrap traders pay waste pickers as per the amount she or he

receives for the same waste from the traders (after deducting expenses and

profit). Thus there is no fixed price for the waste collected by waste pickers,

as the prices of waste products fluctuate as per the market conditions.

This makes the income of waste pickers/ scrap collectors erratic. Thus in

order to regulate the income of waste pickers/scrap collector, It is

recommended that:

The government should declare minimum support prices for major

waste items collected by waste pickers/ scrap collectors. This will help

waste pickers demand the payment of regulated prices from scrap

traders, which, in turn, will prevent exploitation by scrap traders and

safeguard waste pickers from price fluctuations.



65

2. INCREASE PRODUCTION CAPACITY OF WASTE

PICKERS

A strategy to increase the quantity and quality of waste collected should be

formulated to help waste pickers enhance their productivity.

1. Majority of waste pickers/ scrap collectors store some varieties of the

waste collected by them in their homes, and later on sell it in bulk to

bargain for better prices. However, as discussed in the study, storing the

items causes many health hazards as well as other problems. Thus, in order

to prevent this problem, the government should provide storage facilities in

every ward (the area where waste pickers/ scrap collectors live or near every

scrap trading shop. This will also encourage other waste pickers, who are

not storing any waste at present, to store some of their products to facilitate

better bargaining of prices later.

2. Unsorted waste fetches low prices than sorted waste. Many waste

pickers/ scrap collectors sort the waste before selling it to scrap traders to

earn more. However, due to lack of space (their houses are very small),

many of them end up selling the waste collected without sorting it. Also, the

sorting of waste materials in residential areas causes many health hazards

due to the toxic nature of many waste items. Thus, sorting sheds should be

set up near waste/dumping grounds and in every ward, which would help

waste pickers/scrap collectors increase their productivity.

3. Waste pickers/ scrap collectors collect waste from various areas of the

city, for which they have to travel to that area through any available local

transportation and then comb those areas for waste. As revealed by the

survey, waste pickers/ scrap collectors walk to collect waste. In order to

help them reduce their commuting expense, the government should

consider providing them a subsidy on travel in any mode of public transport.

Further, monetary help should also be provided to organizations associated

with waste pickers to enable them to purchase rickshaws and motorized

vehicles for transporting the collected waste to dumping grounds.



66

3. ENSURE EMPLOYMENT

Waste pickers/ scrap collectors are usually illiterate and do not posses any

other skill. Market fluctuations and sometimes even government regulations

restrict or restrain them from pursuing their work, thus further shrinking

their below poverty level income. Actually, waste pickers/ scrap collectors

are doing the work of the municipal corporation in keeping the city clean.

But due to their poor economic and social status, they are not welcomed in

society. The government should take a holistic view of their economic as well

as social status, and accordingly formulate policies to facilitate their work

and ensure their income. It is suggested the implementation of the following

steps to ensure unimpeded income for waste pickers/ scrap collectors:

1. The municipal corporation floats tenders from interested persons or

organizations for door-to-door waste collection in its municipal limit. This

should be abolished, as tenders are usually grabbed by large traders. The

government should instead give work to unions/organizations associated

with waste pickers/ scrap collectors. The following criteria should be

followed by the Municipal Corporation before selecting the organization for

the work:

The organization should be registered under an Act of the Union of

India or

State Government

It should have been in existence for more than three years;

It should be directly working with waste pickers/ scrap collectors;

It should be able to produce audited accounts;

It should have a track record of solving the problems and issues faced

by waste pickers/ scrap collectors; and

The government should also direct the Municipal Corporation to provide the

necessary equipments to waste pickers to enable them to carry on their

door-to-door collection work.

2. The government should ensure that all the stationery required in the

government offices should be made by the waste pickers‘ organizations. This



67

will promote decent livelihood as well as encourage alternative livelihood

options among waste pickers/ scrap collectors.

3. The government should pass a resolution to the effect that all the

categories of waste are given to organizations/unions of waste pickers free of cost.

4. Related training should also be provided to ensure proper functioning of

the cooperative/organization along with the proper linkages.

4. ACKNOWLEDGE WASTE PICKERS/SCRAP

COLLECTORS CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY

Women waste pickers play an important role in fighting climate change

through their efforts towards recovering recyclable materials from waste.

Women engaged in door-to-door waste collection segregate wet waste from

dry waste. Recycling helps the climate by way of reducing emissions through

incineration of waste. Women waste pickers support the idea of recycling

various items found in trash.

1. Identify and acknowledge the significant and dynamic role played by

waste pickers in arresting and mitigating the adverse effects of climate

change

2. Create and implement the use of technologies/systems that supports the

idea of three Rs — reuse, reduce and recycle — without affecting and

integrating the livelihoods of traditional waste pickers and scrap collectors

3. Currently, waste pickers are not allowed to pick waste from the sewage

farm, these wastes are recycled to produce methane gas. The central/state

governments should pass a resolution to save the livelihood of these

traditional waste pickers in Refuse derived fuel (RDF).



68

5. PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF WASTE PICKERS

1. The coverage of Employees State Insurance (ESI) Corporation should be

broadened to include waste pickers and scrap collectors.

2. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and the

National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) should be

extended to include waste pickers and scrap collectors in urban areas,

especially to provide employment during the lean periods. The projects

undertaken under JNRUM should be implemented in the participatory

process with the unions/associations of waste pickers and scrap collectors.

3. The following welfare schemes must be implemented:

Scholarship, uniform and books for the school-going children of waste

pickers and scrap collectors;

Maternity benefit along with nutritious food for mothers and children for

three months; remuneration of Rs. 2,500 per month should also be provided

for these three months;

Like the Bidi Welfare Board, the medical benefits should be provided to

waste pickers and scrap collectors, like the opening of dispensaries/mobile

dispensaries in the areas populated by waste pickers and scrap collectors.

4. A National Board for Waste Pickers should be constituted and

representatives of the stakeholders from the recycling industry should be

included.

5. Since waste pickers have to remain outside their homes for more than six

to eight hours a day, childcare centers should be opened in their areas to

take care of their children.

6. The survey revealed that most workers live in rented homes. This year the

central government has emphasized on housing the poor in the budget. In

urban areas, the cost of housing is very high. Therefore, the government

should provide subsidies to the tune of Rs. 250,000 to Rs. 300.000, and

down payment for waste pickers should be capped at Rs. 20,000. These

housing schemes should be implemented in the participatory process with

the unions/associations of waste pickers and scrap collectors. This housing

scheme should be implemented through the state level labour department.



69

For this, the funds should also be disbursed through the state level labour

department.

8. Currently, waste pickers are exposed to a lot of occupational health

hazards, as they use traditional and obsolete tools. The central/stategovernments should allocate funds to the unions/association of waste

pickers to design, produce and distribute the tools according to their needs.

6. DEVELOPING A FORUM TO RESOLVE ISSUES

Waste pickers and scrap collectors fall in the lowest strata of the economic

and social structure of the society. The government should help develop a

forum, wherein issues concerning them can be raised and resolved. The

government should ensure that union/ association having the largest

membership should be involved in the process of decision making. The

following measures can be taken:

1. A national policy for waste pickers and scrap collectors should be drafted

and implemented at both the central and state levels with immediate effect,

and funds should be allocated the budget.

2. There should be representatives of waste pickers and scrap collectors in

all the urban local bodies to highlight their issues.



70

6.3 CONCLUSION

In the city of Ahmedabad, around 2400 tons of waste is disposed daily,

of which 300 to 400 tons of waste is collected by the women waste

pickers and scrap collectors. Waste collected/picked by them include:

paper, plastic items, iron and steel, wood, old cloth, glass bottles.

The study suggests that combination of factors work together for ill

conditions of women waste pickers and scrap collectors. The factors

identified through the analysis were Lack of education, Lack of identity,

Large families, Low and Unsteady income, Heavy debts, Occupational

Hazards and Health problems leading to heavy medical expenses, Lack

of awareness about various government schemes, Unhealthy living

conditions, lack of basic amenities at home, undue harassment by

various officials and low respect in society.

The policies of government are such that it becomes very difficult for

traditional waste pickers to sustain their only source of livelihood.

These waste pickers help the urban local bodies in keeping the city and

environment clean; hence the roles of these poor, downtrodden,

informal sector silent environments friends should be recognized and

given identity cards by the urban local bodies.

High powered committee should be appointed to frame a policy and

mandatory rules for preserving and enhancing employment of waste

pickers and scrap collectors all over India and city level by integrating

them into city and solid waste management policies.

All urban developmental projects should ensure and enhance the

livelihood of these traditional waste pickers and scrap collectors.

The results suggest that ill conditions of women waste pickers and

scrap collectors is a complex phenomenon, related to multiple issues

and situations. Therefore upliftment in living and working conditions of

women waste pickers and scrap collectors requires multi branched

strategy of government, development organizations, and society as

described in recommendations.



71

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Furedy, C. (1997), ‗Reflections on some dilemmas concerning waste pickers

and waste recovery.‘

Source Book for UWEP Policy Meeting 1997. Revised April 1999. WASTE,

Gouda, The Netherlands.

Bentley, Elizabeth. Struggle for Survival: Organising the Paper Pickers of

Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad: Mahila SEWA Trust, 1988.

Chen, Martha Alter. Towards Economic Freedom: The Impact of SEWA.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat: SEWA Academy, 2005.

Report on National Comission on labour

Chintan (Environment Research and Action Group). Scrap Crash. New Delhi:

Chintan, 2009. www.chintan-india.org.

Organising the Unorganised: A Case Study of the Kagad Kach Patra

Kashtakari Panchayat (Trade Union of Waste-pickers)

Recycling livelihoods Integration of the Informal Recycling Sector in Solid

Waste Management in India a study of Chintan Environmental Research

and Action Group and SNDT Womens‘ University

Waste Pickers and Collectors in Delhi: Poverty and environment in an

Urban Informal Sector Society for Economic and Social Research, Delhi

Trash has Crashed : Impact of Financial Crisis on Waste

Pickers of Ahmedabad City, by the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), India.

Websites: www.guardian.co.uk.

www.indianmetals.com/news/recycling

www.irishtimes.com

www.letsrecycle.com

www.newyorktimes.com

www.timesworld.com

www.sewa.org.

www.weigo.org.

http://www.nlsenlaw.org

www.kahija.org

http://www.chintan-india.org/


http://www.nlsenlaw.org/

http://www.kahija.org/

http://www.kahija.org/

http://www.nlsenlaw.org/




72

ANNEXURE

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRESurveyor Name: Deenky Shah

College: School of Social Science, Department of Labour Welfare, GUArea: Slums of Shahpur-Khariwadi Research Organisation: Kahija

Name:

Age:

Less than 14

14 to 20

20-30

30-40

40-50

50 or above

NUMBER OF MEMBERS INFAMILY

Up to 3

3-5

5-7

7 and above

GENDER:

Male

Female

TOTAL EARNING MEMBERS INFAMILY

Only 1

2-3

More than 3

MARITAL STATUS:

Married

Unmarried

Divorced

Widow

Type of house:

Kuccha

Pukka

Street dwellers

Educational Qualification:

Illiterate

Primary

Secondary

Higher secondary

College level

Complaints regarding of Basicamenities

Water

Drainage

Sanitation

Electricity

Any bad habits

Eating Tobacco

Smoking

Drinking

Type of Wages earned

Daily

Weekly

MonthlyNot fixed

Working Hours?Less than 3

3-5

5-7

More than 7

Earnings per day?30-60

60-100100-200

Monthly medical expenses?

Less than 100

200-300

300-400

400-500

Above 500

Are you able to save moneyfrom your salary

Yes

No



73

Debt

1000-5000

5000-10000

10000-20000

20000-50000

More than 50000

Types of savings?

No savings

Kahija SHG

SEWA Bank

Health problems faced due to work?

Respiratory problems

TB

Skin problem

Back pain

Other

Association with any NGO?

Kahija

SEWA

Manav Sadhna

Benefitted by any schemes of government

BPL

APL

Other schemes

Problems faced at work place

Health Risk

Low income

No identity

No fix incomeNo vehicles to carry goods waste

Any health problems

Yes

NoWhich problem: _____________________

Other problems?

Harassment of securityguards

Problems due to dogs

Fear of being accused asthieves

Harassment of policeofficials/municipalofficials

No child care centre

Have you attended training-Counselingsessions organized by Kahija?

Yes

No

Association with any NGO,CBO or Union

Kahija

SEWA

Manav Sadhna

Any other

Benefits/aids from KahijaLegal aid

Awareness prog for womenempowerment

Couple counseling

Pregnancy help

Drop-in centers for children

Balwadi for their children

Years of Association withKahija

Less than 2

2-4

5-7

More than 7

Remarks: Any Suggestion?

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