CUTTACK: The authorities of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have decided to include rag pickers in the cleanliness drive of the civic body in the Millennium City.
The rag pickers, mostly from unorganised labour class, are highly stigmatised but play a vital role in maintaining cleanliness in cities, towns and rural areas by collecting solid waste like plastic and polythene bags regularly.
Engaging rag pickers in waste and garbage disposal will not only keep the city clean but also ensure social security and recognition to the profession of the marginal community, said CMC Commissioner Gyana Das.
Generally, rag pickers are looked down upon by the society and most of the time, they are humiliated by people. The CMC has decided to identify all the rag pickers in the city and provide them with identity cards so that they can perform their duty in an organised and dignified way.
‘’It has been decided to issue identity cards to rag pickers which will be linked with their Aadhaar cards in order to ascertain the genuineness of the person concerned,’’ Das said.
Apart from gloves and jackets, the CMC is planning to provide health service to the families of rag pickers by organising health camps. Besides, there is plan to sensitise them on proper waste management system.
Moreover, to include the rag pickers in the mainstream, CMC is planning to make the job more remunerative, include them in Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) and upgrade their skills in order to make them able for multiple jobs, the CMC Commissioner said.
As part of the initiative, the CMC on Monday conducted a meeting which was attended by around 100 rag pickers. Temporary identity cards have been issued to about 50 rag pickers in the city, Das said and added that the initiative has evoked good response.
NAAC team visits Ravenshaw University
Cuttack: A five-member team of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visited Ravenshaw University on Monday. The NAAC team headed by Prof RN Rangnath will make an inspection of the university for three days to assess its infrastructure facilities and academic structure. On the first day, the team met all the heads of departments and collected necessary data from them. The team will also visit the place for second campus of the university at Brajabiharipur near Naraj. This is the first visit of the NAAC team after university status was accorded to Ravenshaw Autonomous College on November 15, 2006.