Delhi waste pickers to get official ID cards, over 13,000 surveyed so far, says MCD

MCD will register informal waste collectors, issuing ID cards for 13,505 surveyed workers, aiming to provide social security and enhance waste management in Delhi.

Informal waste collectors visiting colonies will be registered and issued authorised ID cards by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), senior officials said. More than 13,500 such waste pickers have been surveyed so far.

Delhi waste pickers to get official ID cards, over 13,000 surveyed so far, says MCD

Under the Centre’s National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme, a survey and validation drive is underway across all MCD zones, an official said. “A total of 13,505 waste workers have been surveyed and are currently being validated. The exercise is to facilitate registration, identification and inclusion of sanitation workers and waste pickers under welfare provisions,” the official added.

The overall number remains much lower than the actual count of informal waste pickers, officials conceded.

MCD data shows the highest number — 3,992 workers — have been identified in Shahdara North zone, followed by Karol Bagh (1,814), central zone (1,178) and west zone (1,108). The remaining eight zones have recorded fewer than 1,000 workers each, with the lowest count of 317 in Keshavpuram and City SP zones.

“The objective is to provide social security to these waste collectors while bolstering city security,” an official said. Under NAMASTE, provisions have been made to identify waste pickers and assist them in safe waste disposal.

Further, the scheme aims to assist them in disposing of waste in a safe and secure manner. “To this end, we are not only identifying these workers but will also provide them with training on how to segregate waste safely.”

Once credentials are verified and police checks completed, identity cards will be issued. “This will ensure they are treated with dignity in residential colonies,” the official added.

Delhi’s daily municipal waste estimate has risen by over 1,500 tonnes in the last year — from 11,342 tonnes per day (TPD) in April 2024 to 12,847 TPD. Experts said a large chunk of this waste is disposed of with the help of waste pickers, but their role remains largely unacknowledged and they have not been brought into the system despite the mandate of the 2016 solid waste management rules.