A STUDY OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND HEALTH CONDITIONS OF CHILDREN WORKING AS RAG-PICKERS IN UDAIPUR, RAJATHAN

In India there is a large informal sector of rag-pickers who earn their livelihood from waste-picking from the streets, dustbins and waste dumps. It is estimated that these rag-pickers pick up about 5-10% of the total waste produced in large urban areas and pass it on to the recycling industries through various levels of intermediaries. These rag-pickers thus reduce the burden of local bodies by several million rupees a year in collection, transport and disposal cost, as well as the resultant saving of land fill space. Also, child labour in the profession present shocking facts. This study paper will help the city planners and policy makers and the implementation agencies need to take up the responsibilities, underline the outreach of schemes and their impact for a better change.