Government opened a box of relief for Swachhta Didi and Safai Mitras working under Mission Clean City
Weekly leave will be given on rotation, 8 hours of working time fixed, one day paid casual leave every month
All Swachhta Didi and Safai Mitras will be registered in the Labor Department, will get the benefits of schemes
State government issued new guidelines to urban bodies, asked to ensure strict compliance
Health test will be done every month, blood test every three months, thyroid test, LDH test, total cholesterol test and many other types of tests
Uniforms, aprons, gloves, socks, masks, shoes, caps and raincoats will also be given
Raipur. 21 February 2025: The Urban Administration and Development Department has opened a box of relief for Swachhta Didi and Safai Mitras working in urban bodies under Mission Clean City. The state government has issued new guidelines to all urban bodies regarding fixing a working period of eight hours for them as well as providing weekly leave and one day paid casual leave in a month. Along with this, instructions have also been given to provide the benefits of various schemes to all Swachhata Didi and Safai Mitras by registering them in the Labor Department.
The Urban Administration Department has issued new guidelines by amending the instructions issued in the year 2016 for the operation and maintenance of infrastructure and self-help groups built under the “Mission Clean City” implemented in urban bodies for solid waste management. These new guidelines will be applicable in all the remaining municipal corporations and all municipalities and Nagar Panchayats except Raipur, Bhilai and Risali. Sensitively considering the demands of various self-help groups working in the bodies, after the approval of Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration Minister Arun Saw, the department has issued a circular in this regard to the Municipal Corporation Commissioners and Chief Municipal Officers of Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats and asked them to strictly follow the new instructions. All regional joint directors have been instructed to visit the bodies from time to time and report that these instructions are followed. According to the circular issued by the Urban Administration and Development Department, the working hours of Swachhata Didi/Safai Mitras have been fixed at eight hours. The bodies can fix the working hours as per convenience from 6 am to 3 pm (including one hour lunch break) or from 7 am to 4 pm. Apart from special occasions, work beyond the prescribed working hours will be prohibited. The work roster of each Swachhata Didi/Safai Mitra in the bodies will be prepared by the self-help group in such a way that every member can compulsorily get one weekly holiday on rotation basis. The urban bodies have been asked to take care that the weekly holidays of all the members do not fall on the same day, so that the work of door-to-door garbage collection and disposal is not affected, and garbage does not start accumulating in the Manikanchan Center.
The state government has directed that all the members working under Mission Clean City should be compulsorily registered on the portal of the labour department. Along with this, the head of the body has been asked to ensure on priority that all the members get the full benefit of various welfare schemes run by the labour department and life insurance, medical claim etc. It has been said in the circular that the work of the manpower employed under Mission Clean City is to do the work of door-to-door garbage collection and disposal. But some bodies are getting them to do street sweeping, drain cleaning and other types of work. The Urban Administration Department has directed all the bodies that it will be completely prohibited to get the Swachhata Didi/Safai Mitras employed under Mission Clean City to do any other type of work other than the guidelines of the scheme. In case of violation of the instructions, responsibility will be determined and strict disciplinary action will be taken.
The Urban Administration Department has asked to ensure that the monthly health check-up of all the manpower employed under Mission Clean City is compulsorily done in the mobile medical unit operated under the Chief Minister Slum Health Scheme. Every three months, all the members will undergo blood test, thyroid test, BP and sugar test, urine test, urine culture, uric acid, albumen test, LDH test, total cholesterol test, VHDL test and THS test. For this, the bodies of the district headquarters will coordinate with other bodies of the district and prepare a camp plan and ensure action. Keeping in mind the interests of Swachhata Didi/Safai Mitras, the state government has decided to provide one day of paid casual leave in a month. Every SLRM will maintain the account of leave of each member monthly and enter it in the register and bonus amount will be provided as far as possible once a year from the amount deducted, based on the availability of funds, or one member doing excellent work from each center will be given an honorarium or award from this amount on a special day.
As per the new instructions under Mission Clean City, the repair and maintenance of SLRM centers (Manikchan Center) and its material will be done by the body from the amount released under the repair and maintenance item. In case of need of major repair work in special circumstances, separate amount will be provided by SUDA on the basis of merits and demerits after examining the case. Supervisors appointed for SLRM centers will be regular employees of the body or members of self-help groups. Other placement employees/cleanliness commandos etc. will not be made supervisors. Repair work of tricycle rickshaws, mini tippers etc. will be done by the supervisor and the body will reimburse the supervisor for the repair amount. For this, the user charge amount can be used for payment of up to one lakh rupees annually. Various materials will be given for health protection and convenience in work. As per the guidelines of Mission Clean City, the state government has given instructions to ensure that various materials are made available free of cost to Safai Mitras in Manikanchan centers for health protection and convenience in work. Safai Mitras will be provided identity card every year, two green T-shirts for men’s uniform, two saris for women’s uniform, two aprons and one raincoat. Besides, four pairs of rubber gloves and four pairs of cloth gloves will be given every three months, six pairs of socks and six masks every two months, two pairs of cloth shoes and two caps every six months. Safai Mitras working in the compost shed will also be provided a pair of gumboots every year.