More than 95 percent of New Delhi has no formal system of house-to-house garbage collection, so it falls to the city’s ragpickers, one of India’s poorest and most marginalized groups, to provide this basic service for fellow citizens. They are not paid by the state for their work, relying instead on donations from the communities they serve, and on meager profits from the sale of discarded items.
But after centuries of submissive silence, the waste collectors are beginning to demand respect.
On Oct. 2, the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi, the Delhi state government made a small but significant concession. In response to pressure from a ragpickers’ union, it will supply about 6,000 of them with protective gloves, boots and aprons. Meanwhile, they pick through refuse – shards of glass smeared with the remains of yesterday’s dinner, broken shoes mixed in with rotting meat – with bare hands. The government says its gesture will go some way toward granting the waste collectors a modicum of dignity.
The waste collectors are underwhelmed by the move. They do not want gloves, they say. They want wages, social security, pensions, health care, uniforms they hope will discourage police harassment, education for their children and decent housing.
Castes continue – as much a part of the economy as the culture.
Go for it! We ought to send the Teamsters over.
They want wages, social security, pensions, health care, uniforms they hope will discourage police harassment, education for their children and decent housing.
No shit. Damn, they’re doing society a service… pay them.
We could out-source there!!
so THATS what they do in between outsourced help-desk support…dig through the garbage!
Somebody call Mike Rowe (Discovery’s DIRTY JOBS)
J/P=?
I’m with #1, these people need a much stronger union. I’m not sure the Teamsters are that union anymore, but that’s a different issue.
And yet India can affford to make nukes (or at least one). What’s next, a landing on the moon?! Their economic priorities are even more backwards than ours! A falling Infrastructure? They haven’t even got one! But they always got money for armies and weapons. Just like US!!!
NO job is better than ANY OTHER.
If these folks STOPPEd for 1 week, many cities would be up to there NECKS in crap…
Ragpickers: “We want wages, social security, pensions, health care, uniforms they hope will discourage police harassment, education for their children and decent housing.”
Gov’t: How about some gloves and an apron?
A two week long strike would send a message. I’d send $50.00 to keep them fed during the strike. The India gov’t is spending an estimated 500 million on weapons upgrades and nukes. Must be reading from the Bush doctrine. Fuck the poor (and key element of their society), more things that go boom.
“Castes continue – as much a part of the economy as the culture.”
Considering the latest anti brown skin movements in the USA and the anti immigrant laws (not to mention the ignorant attitude towards sikhs) I’m sure that dream of castes will become a reality in the USA.
So they want all those things? Maybe they should ask the tooth fairy. If they’re so unhappy, then why are they doing the job at all? My guess is the list of demands was added in by someone else. I hope they do pay for all those things. If trash became so expensive, maybe people would stop throwing everything into the street.
The society certain Republicans dream of for America.
#7 “Their economic priorities are even more backwards than ours!”
Actually it is the caste system – these people are born into this.
India is very progressive in education using Indian made satellites for teaching in schools which are too remote for conventional hook-ups.
We had sent on of our Chinese engineers over to one of our clients for about six months and he said where he is people line up to have their morning squat on the side of the road men and women.
India sure is a country of contrasts…
Cheers
#10, it is the pro-immigrant laws that would create a caste system. Karl Rove said he supported amnesty because he didn’t want his kids mowing lawns.
#14
I disagree with that POV, anti immigrant laws such as those preventing their children to enter schools, keeping them from getting a decent health care, keeping them from renting a house, etc. would create an underground servant populace.
I just can’t wait for someone killing an illegal immigrant and the time taken by the jury to give their verdict is equal to how fast you can drink a bottle of Pepsi.
It will be just like those hate crimes towards african americans in the first half of the 20th century.
Renting a house, decent health care, that’s not what creates a caste system. Much of central america is known for a vasst rich poor divide of big houses with servant populations nearby. This is what immigration amnesty provides, pushing low skill wages lower. With less immigration it gives you higher wages for the bottom rung.
#16
And this is another legacy of the so called “entrepeneurs” who in the late 19th century/early 20th century went south of the border for business oportunities..
Funny, you provide a service for free and people will expect it to remain free.
pakistan has a backward community than india every body knws that . cse thier own leader oh sorry boss musharaff he is taking back the economy he only support the terrorist ism . what happend when there was an election going to happend he himself plaaned a attack to himself so tht he can gain faith of pakis and american gov. and wht happen till now paki even cannot made a setelite himself he take help of china . but india has many .. u knw u pakis r jealous of our economy growth . in india every village has electricity road school and in pak god knws . nepal has better economy thn pak .