The Garima Story
The Garima Scheme, launched by the Government of Odisha in 2020, institutionalizes safety, dignity, and social security for Core Sanitation Workers. The scheme mandates enhanced minimum wages by recognizing sanitation roles as skilled and highly skilled, establishes Emergency Response Sanitation Units and Garima Grihas as dedicated rest and support spaces, and formally includes vulnerable groups, including transgender persons, within its framework.
- Odisha is the first state to classify sanitation work involving faecal waste handling as “highly skilled” and “skilled,” leading to nearly a 50 percent increase in minimum wages.
- The scheme mandated the establishment of Garima Grihas, dedicated rest centres equipped with private changing rooms, washrooms, and lockers for Core Sanitation Workers.
- It enabled the inclusion of transgender led Self Help Groups in managing Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants, creating stable and dignified livelihood opportunities.
