NEWS

Claiming that approximately 2 lakh rag pickers help dispose of almost 25 per cent of waste generated in Delhi—saving Rs 21.6 crore annually on segregation and transport—rag pickers are protesting the entry of private companies in solid waste management in Delhi. A
consortium of NGOs working for rag pickers is planning to organise a march on 15,2009. A baseline survey carried out two years ago by 14 NGOs together had shown the approximate 2 lakh rag pickers, including 60,000 in 5-14 years age group, help in segregating 20-22 per cent of municipal solid waste. “The MCD commissioner had then (in 2006) agreed this was a saving of Rs 6,000 per day for the civic body,” the consortium has claimed.