- Equity, inclusion and sanitation workers
- Sanitation workers
- Equity, dignity, caste and gender aspects for sanitation workers
- The Garima Story: Sanitation Work with Safety and Dignity in Urban Odisha
The Garima Story: Sanitation Work with Safety and Dignity in Urban Odisha
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The Garima Story: Sanitation Work with Safety and Dignity in Urban Odisha
The Garima Story: Sanitation Work with Safety and Dignity in Urban Odisha
The Garima Story, jointly published by the Government of Odisha’s Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD) and the Urban Management Centre (UMC), chronicles Odisha’s pioneering Garima Programme—India’s first comprehensive, state-wide initiative to ensure the safety, dignity, and inclusion of sanitation workers.
About the publication:
Launched in 2020, the Garima Programme redefined how sanitation work is governed and valued in India. Implemented across all 115 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Odisha, it institutionalised systems that protect workers’ lives and livelihoods through structured reforms—ranging from enumeration and welfare entitlements to mechanisation and occupational health.
What it covers:
• The context of sanitation worker invisibility and the Garima vision for systemic reform
• Institutional frameworks and convergence across government departments
• Use of digital tools like Quneiform for worker enumeration, validation, and entitlement mapping
• Establishment of Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) in every ULB
• Sewer Entry Professional (SEP) training for skill certification and safe practices
• Occupational health, insurance, and social security mechanisms under Garima
• Field stories that highlight the human impact of policy-driven dignity
Why it matters:
Garima demonstrates how an Indian state can transform sanitation work through empathy, innovation, and institutional collaboration. Its governance architecture and human-centred design offer a replicable model for inclusive sanitation reform—aligning with SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
📘 Read the full publication here
📅 Published: August 2025 | © Government of Odisha & Urban Management Centre
Supported by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
We invite SuSanA members to share comparable experiences of sanitation worker welfare programmes, occupational safety reforms, or data-driven inclusion initiatives from their countries.
— *Meghna Malhotra*
Deputy Director, Urban Management Centre (UMC), India
The Garima Story, jointly published by the Government of Odisha’s Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD) and the Urban Management Centre (UMC), chronicles Odisha’s pioneering Garima Programme—India’s first comprehensive, state-wide initiative to ensure the safety, dignity, and inclusion of sanitation workers.
About the publication:
Launched in 2020, the Garima Programme redefined how sanitation work is governed and valued in India. Implemented across all 115 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Odisha, it institutionalised systems that protect workers’ lives and livelihoods through structured reforms—ranging from enumeration and welfare entitlements to mechanisation and occupational health.
What it covers:
• The context of sanitation worker invisibility and the Garima vision for systemic reform
• Institutional frameworks and convergence across government departments
• Use of digital tools like Quneiform for worker enumeration, validation, and entitlement mapping
• Establishment of Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) in every ULB
• Sewer Entry Professional (SEP) training for skill certification and safe practices
• Occupational health, insurance, and social security mechanisms under Garima
• Field stories that highlight the human impact of policy-driven dignity
Why it matters:
Garima demonstrates how an Indian state can transform sanitation work through empathy, innovation, and institutional collaboration. Its governance architecture and human-centred design offer a replicable model for inclusive sanitation reform—aligning with SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
📘 Read the full publication here
📅 Published: August 2025 | © Government of Odisha & Urban Management Centre
Supported by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
We invite SuSanA members to share comparable experiences of sanitation worker welfare programmes, occupational safety reforms, or data-driven inclusion initiatives from their countries.
— *Meghna Malhotra*
Deputy Director, Urban Management Centre (UMC), India
Meghna Malhotra
Deputy Director, Urban Management Centre (UMC) – Ahmedabad, India
Urban Management Centre (UMC) is a not-for-profit organisation working with national and state governments to build capacities for inclusive and resilient urban governance.
Over the past decade, UMC has supported transformative sanitation initiatives such as:
• Garima (Odisha) – ensuring safety, dignity, and inclusion of sanitation workers
• Sanitation Workers Development Scheme (Tamil Nadu) – institutionalising welfare systems
• NAMASTE – supporting the national mission for sanitation worker empowerment
• City Livelihoods Action Plans (CLAP) – integrating urban livelihoods and gender inclusion
Visit: www.umcasia.org
Follow us: LinkedIn – Urban Management Centre
Deputy Director, Urban Management Centre (UMC) – Ahmedabad, India
Urban Management Centre (UMC) is a not-for-profit organisation working with national and state governments to build capacities for inclusive and resilient urban governance.
Over the past decade, UMC has supported transformative sanitation initiatives such as:
• Garima (Odisha) – ensuring safety, dignity, and inclusion of sanitation workers
• Sanitation Workers Development Scheme (Tamil Nadu) – institutionalising welfare systems
• NAMASTE – supporting the national mission for sanitation worker empowerment
• City Livelihoods Action Plans (CLAP) – integrating urban livelihoods and gender inclusion
Visit: www.umcasia.org
Follow us: LinkedIn – Urban Management Centre
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- Equity, inclusion and sanitation workers
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