MADURAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin, during a function here on Friday, launched sanitation workers’ development programme across the state and distributed safety equipment to a few workers.
A survey will be carried out to identify sanitation workers and details will be uploaded on a mobile application. Through this scheme, the standard of living of sanitation workers will rise and the economy will improve, said Stalin. Later in the day, he unveiled the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar at Perangudi along with ministers and VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan.
In the first phase, the scheme will be implemented in five urban local bodies and will be extended to all other local bodies in Tamil Nadu later. Ministers KN Nehru, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Moorthi, MP S Venkatesan and other council members accompanied the CM. “Sanitation workers are at the forefront of keeping our cities clean and healthy but face many challenges in their daily life.
To help them, the municipal administration had announced that a sanitation workers development programme would be implemented through local bodies, so that they can avail the benefits of various government welfare schemes and receive necessary skill training in mechanised sanitation work or opt for alternative business as per their choice. Loan assistance will also be provided through the banks,” said principal secretary of municipal administration.
Officials said the scheme would benefit 18,859 permanent sanitation workers and 34,442 temporary contract employees working in urban local bodies. “A total of 53,301 employees, including government staff, private sector and informal workers involved in sanitation, will benefit. It is planned to implement this project with the help of the urban management centre in Ahmedabad. Apart from the pilot in Chennai corporation zone-6; Madurai corporation; and Pudukottai, Pollachi and Cheranmahadevi municipalities, five other urban local bodies have been selected to identify sanitation workers and implement programmes for them,” they added.
Following the unveiling of the Ambedkar statue, VCK cadre and BJP members, who reached Perangudi to garland the new statue, entered into an altercation. The Avaniyapuram police nabbed 25 BJP cadre and temporarily kept them in a hall as a preventative measure before releasing them in the evening.