Delhi govt to provide safety kits to rag pickers

NEW DELHI: Recognising the role of rag pickers in helping keep the city clean, the Delhi government on Tuesday said it would soon provide them with safety kits such as apron, gloves and face masks for safe handling of the waste.
   
"The government would soon release funds to facilitate distribution of kit which would include aprons, gloves, shoes and face masks for the rag-pickers," Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said at a training programme on safe methods of rag picking and waste management for rag-pickers here.
   
Dikshit said training would go a long way in safeguarding health of rag pickers as they are exposed to hazardous waste during rag-picking.
   
Talking about the government scheme "involvement of weaker sections of society in improvement and upgradation of the environment", she said it would help in improvement of economic and social health of the society.
   
The training, which has been jointly organised by Delhi government along with various voluntary agencies working in the field, aims to educate over 3.5 lakh rag-pickers in the capital.