More than 42,000 waste workers associated with UNDP’s Project Utthaan are now being recognised as environmental stewards and contributors to India’s climate action.
The recognition comes as India tries to build more inclusive waste-management systems, but the bigger story is what sits behind the number: a workforce that has historically operated largely outside formal social-security and employment systems is gradually being brought into government schemes, financial services and organised waste-management structures.
From Invisible To Recognised
Project Utthaan was launched by the United Nations Development Programme in October 2020, initially as a response to the disruption caused by Covid-19. Its objective was to improve waste workers’ access to social-protection schemes and livelihood opportunities.
The scale of the challenge became clearer through UNDP’s baseline assessment. Conducted in 2020, it covered 9,300 Safai Sathis across 14 cities in 10 states. Around 65% reported having no formal education, while more than seven in 10 reported monthly household income below ₹10,000. About 6% reported household income below ₹2,250 a month.
Financial inclusion was also limited. Six in 10 respondents reported having a bank account, but only 21% reported access to Jan Dhan Yojana.
Health-insurance coverage was below 5%. The findings illustrated why simply recognising waste workers’ environmental contribution was not enough. Access to documentation, welfare schemes and financial services was equally important.
Why The Climate Label Matters
The latest recognition comes through UNDP India’s “Planet Starts With People” campaign, launched on World Environment Day 2026. The campaign places waste workers within the wider climate narrative, highlighting the environmental role of people who collect, sort and recover discarded materials.
Importantly, “climate champion” here is a recognition under the UNDP campaign, not a new government job category or statutory designation.
The distinction matters. The environmental value of waste collection does not automatically provide workers with formal employment, stable income or social protection. Project Utthaan’s approach has therefore focused on connecting workers with government schemes and formal services.
The change can be seen through individual experiences. Delhi waste worker Joginder Kewat told PTI that he previously earned around ₹100-150 a day and described greater livelihood stability after becoming associated with the project. Such testimony illustrates the potential impact, but it should not be treated as evidence of a uniform income increase across all 42,000 workers.
Government Policy Is Expanding
The formal policy response has also moved forward. Waste pickers were added as a target group under the NAMASTE scheme in June 2024, bringing them within a framework covering profiling, occupational-safety training, PPE, health-insurance linkages and support for integration into solid-waste management.
The latest government figures show the programme operating at a considerably larger scale. In an April 2026 update covering FY2025-26, the National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation said 3,76,209 waste pickers had been profiled, with 2,49,166 validated through e-KYC. During FY2025-26, 1,31,279 waste pickers received PPE kits, while 1,565 received occupational-safety and skill-upgradation training.
That expansion is significant because enumeration is a prerequisite for bringing an informal workforce into organised government interventions. But profiling alone does not guarantee that every worker will receive every benefit. Implementation still depends on validation, eligibility and delivery through local systems.
Circular Economy Needs Workers
The private sector is also becoming part of this transition. In August 2026, UNDP and Hindustan Unilever announced the next phase of their partnership, targeting 50,000 Safai Mitras across 50 cities by 2028. The programme will focus on social inclusion alongside stronger segregation, collection, recovery and recycling systems.
The partnership builds on seven years of collaboration during which UNDP and HUL said they supported 24,000 Safai Mitras and enabled waste segregation across 1.2 lakh households through more than 20 partners in five states.
For India’s circular economy, this is the crucial shift. Waste management is not only about infrastructure, recycling plants or collection vehicles. It also depends on the people working at the first mile of the value chain.
The 42,000 workers associated with Project Utthaan therefore represent more than a headline figure. Their recognition reflects a broader attempt to connect environmental work with social protection and economic inclusion.
The real measure of progress, however, will be whether that recognition ultimately translates into safer working conditions, stronger livelihoods and a more formal place for waste workers within India’s waste-management system.
Also read: Delhi HC Protects Women From Post-Maternity Demotion, Orders ₹10 Lakh Compensation
