Waste pickers are often known as ragpickers in India’s colloquial language. Estimated between 1.5 million and 4 million, they are unsung heroes in the complex urban waste management system and undertake backbreaking activities like salvaging, sorting, and segregating the recyclable refuse, which is much needed for environmental sustainability. Though important, they remain at the bottom rung of the ladder of collective amnesia and thus often highlight invisibility. The Unseen Backbone of India’s Waste Management Economy India generates over 10% of the world’s total waste, and it is one of the biggest providers to global waste streams. To manage this colossal burden the country depends on an informal workforce—comprising millions of waste pickers, segregators, and recyclers, often working without official recognition or benefits. The Safai Sathis are most integral part of this ecosystem performing an important function in the process of segregation, cleaning, and dispatching recyclables to material recovery facilities (MRFs). Estimates suggest that between 1.5 million and 4 million waste pickers work across urban India, collecting and sorting waste at every level of the disposal chain—from households to landfills (International Research Journal of Environment Sciences, 2017). These workers are the backbone of recycling and have greatly contributed to the achievement of India’s high recycling rates of around 70% for PET bottles, higher than any developed country like the USA, where only 31% of PET bottles are recycled. Operating at the lowest rungs of the urban economy, these workers extract recyclable materials from unsegregated waste streams at landfills, dump sites, and from household waste bins. This invisible workforce, made up mainly of workers from poor communities, ferrets material up the chain of informal recyclers-to-formal recyclers. Notably, its labor saves scarce resources and reduces the environmental impact from the accumulation of waste inasmuch as 100% of glass waste gets recycled and 50-80% of plastics and paper wastes are recycled.  The contributions of the Safai Sathis are not limited to waste management and public health; they also add up to environmental conservation, but there’s often no formal recognition; no job security; and no safety nets for them. This achievement underlines a paradox: it takes an informal, stigmatized workforce to produce that which structured systems can’t deliver. Their efforts ammount to 100% of the country’s recycling and fill crucial gaps in municipal solid waste management (MSWM). Yet this vital contribution unrequited shows a paradox of dependence and despisement. Navigating Precarity: The Challenges Confronting Safai SathisThe demographic composition of this workforce is extremely embedded in societal discrimination. WIEGO, among other studies, finds that 90 percent of Pune’s waste pickers are Scheduled Castes, and this corresponds with 90 percent of waste pickers across the nation being women. This triad of caste, class, and gender positions them at the bottom of informal labor hierarchies in cities. Most of them are illiterate, unskilled, and burdened by generational poverty, compounded by their migratory status. An eight-state study (2021-2022) reported that sanitation workers, 88% of whom had migrated from other states for economic sustenance, were faced with bureaucratic hurdles—23% did not have papers to claim ration cards, and 15% did not know how to apply. This exclusion manifests as limited access to government schemes, with only 67% owning bank accounts and a mere 21% of these being Jan Dhan accounts. Health Hazards: A Silent EpidemicThe working environment of waste pickers is risky. Prolonged exposure to toxic substances and the repeated strain from doing physical chores are taking heavy health tolls. The 2017 study at the Deonar dumping area in Mumbai enumerated prevalent morbidities among the waste pickers:– Respiratory ailments (28%) like chronic cough and dyspnea.– Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to repetitive bending and lifting of heavy loads.– Gastrointestinal distress, including nausea and dysentery Attention is sometimes drawn to the Deonar dumping site either by the fires caused by methane emissions or by some controversial municipal proposals, such as herbal deodorants to dispel the stench. However, for the local population, the toxic air, smoke filled homes, and unsanitary disposal systems are a given, not breaking news. For a long, research scholars and advocacy bodies, including the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), have scrutinized the pathetic living conditions in the area. Chandrika Rao, director at Apnalaya,notes, “The life expectancy of people still hovers at 39 compared with an urban average of 73.5 years in Maharashtra.” Besides, a TISS report on the socio-economic vulnerabilities of M-East ward, where the dumping ground is located, revealed alarming levels of malnutrition, respiratory illnesses, and tuberculosis.Ironically, it was Purva Dewoolkar, affiliated with a TISS initiative to clean up the ward, who discovered the biggest perpetrator not in the dump but in a medical-waste incinerator run by a private company behind the depot.This situation underlines the compound nature of health risks to those who labor and reside in close proximity to a waste dump, fueled by environmental degradation and ineffective regulatory controls. To address this, systemic interventions would be needed to prevent long-term negative impacts on vulnerable populations. Inadequate access to protective gear and healthcare keeps vulnerability cycles alive. Sylvia,waste picker, so vividly complains about such systemic apathy: “Healthcare should be universally accessible.Instead, we are treated even worse by medical facilities.” Social Protection: A Critical Safety NetThe systemic exclusion of Safai Sathis (waste pickers)from governmental welfare schemes starkly reflects their marginalisation within public policy frameworks. Migrants form a substantial sector of this workforce, with a 2021 UNDP study finding that 88% of surveyed waste pickers are migrants. This demographic faces myriad barriers to accessing social protection, including the nonavailability of identification documents such as Aadhaar or caste certificates. As a result, 23% of the surveyed waste pickers do not possess ration cards; only 0.5% have caste or income certificates-essential documents for access to social welfare entitlements. Migrant status cuts across inter-state lines – most of the migrant Safai Sathis, recruited from other states, are outside the purview of local welfare schemes due to the absence of inter-state portability in benefits. Systemic challenges have been added to that under India’s Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act (1979); due to its design to regulate working conditions, it is often under-implemented. Gender disparities also exist within this workforce. Among the waste pickers, women are the major constituency; they face greater risks at work and get paid for less than males. While this is not the only reason for the lack of access to healthcare and financial safety nets, it does disproportionately affect women, who often shouldered household responsibilities in addition to their labor-intensive jobs. The

Manoj Kumar reaches the waste dumping site early every morning when the city is still asleep, and dawn is just beginning to break. He wheels his cycle on the empty and silent road, suffused with light from yellow street lights overhead that are starting to dim out. His job is gruelling, and the hours are unpredictable. As a waste worker, or Safai Mitra, his job is crucial to the city’s functioning, but the conditions under which he works are harsh. He spends hours sorting through waste, sometimes into late evenings. The unpredictability of his work hours and income often leaves him with little or no food for days.Yet, despite his exhaustion and hunger, Manoj pushes on, knowing that his family depends on whatever meagre earnings he can bring home. The 35-year-old waste worker and his wife Manju, a domestic worker, had migrated from the eastern Indian state of Bihar to Faridabad in Haryana, part of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), in search of a better life, especially for his 3 children. After all, Faridabad is a major industrial city in Delhi NCR and offers livelihood options to thousands of migrant workers like Manoj. But four decades later, Manoj still struggles to put food on the table for himself and his family. “My energy levels are always low because I don’t eat enough,” Manoj admits, his voice tinged with resignation. For waste workers like Manoj —known as Safai Mitras—the lack of consistent access to food, let alone nutritious food, is more than a daily challenge. It is a way of life they have learnt to live with –although it shouldn’t be because food security is a basic human right, as declared by the United Nations, and a vital component of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), which aims to end hunger and achieve food security by 2030. But for marginalized communities like the Safai Mitras this is often a distant goal. Recognizing this, UNDP under its Utthaan initiative along with its partner organization The Centre for Education, Governance and Policy (CEGP Foundation) has stepped in. Through awareness sessions in communities where Safai Mitras live, they connect vulnerable families to essential government schemes designed to provide food security. A vital aspect of this effort is ensuring access to Ration Cards, an official document issued under India’s National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, to households eligible to buy subsidized food grains from the Public Distribution System. According to the UNDP’s assessment of the socio-economic status of waste pickers in India, about 50% of Safai Mitras possess ration cards but many are still deprived of ration cards. Many still face barriers to accessing benefits due to a lack of knowledge about available schemes and insufficient documentation. The cards provide both dignity and access to essential nutrition, enabling them toendure the physically demanding nature of their jobs. When Manoj received his ration card, his life changed. With the support Utthaan linkage camps organised by CEGP Foundation , his family now receives monthly staples such as wheat, rice, andpulses. And thanks to the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme, even if they migrate to another city for work, they can still access their food entitlements without being tied to their place of origin. For the first time in years, Manoj no longer has to agonize over how to feed his children. “Having regular access to food lets me dream about my children’s future rather than just survive,” Manoj says, his voice filled with both relief and hope. The transformation in Manoj’s life is a testament to the broader significance of government programmes like the NFSA, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), and ONORC. More than 800 million people in India benefit from these food security initiatives. Initiatives like POSHAN Abhiyaan now POSHAN 2.0 aim to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, the program addresses malnutrition by enhancing nutrition content. It promotes traditional nutritional practices and locally available nutritious foods for adequate nutrition, while the Mid-Day Meal Scheme for school children strengthens the food security net for marginalized communities. But Manoj’s story is not a solitary one. Many other Safai Mitras, with the help of civil society organisations like CEGP Foundation are finding an alternative to bring a change. These organizations serve as vital connectors, helping Safai Mitras update essential identification documents like Aadhar, Voter IDs, and PAN Cards. These documents are required to access social protection schemes such as the ration card programme.They also conduct educational programmes that raise awareness of the various government initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Safai Mitras. And these initiatives are founded on a fundamental belief – food security is not just about having enough to eat—it is about having the stability and dignity to focus onbuilding a better future. “Today my family enjoys the simple joy of having a nutritious meal every day,” saysManoj. “And I can sleep at night.” At the end of the day, Manoj’s story reminds us that food securityprogrammes allow marginalized communities to think beyond survival—to dream, hope, and build better futures for themselves and their children. “Food security is foundational to building resilient communities. When we address hunger, we are not just addressing a single issue—we are laying the groundwork for broader social inclusion and justice. This aligns with SDG 2, to end hunger, and SDG 10, to reduce inequalities. By working towards both, we help marginalized communities not just survive, but thrive.”  Vilas Nanda, Co-Founder and Director, CEGP Foundation. UNDP India, 2024