Songs of Revolution

20 Jul ’1024 Jul ’20 Amit Thavaraj

Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) is a trade-union of waste-pickers and itinerant waste-buyers in Pune. It was established by Pune's waste-pickers in 1993. KKPKP successfully argued for municipal endorsement of identity cards of waste-pickers. It quantified their contribution to solid waste-management and spearheaded the struggle for their rights. It established that the work of waste-pickers saved the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations several millions every year in waste-handling costs -- Rs. 120 million in 2009 alone. Nearly two decades of organized struggle has brought about a gradual but marked change in the life of waste-pickers in Pune-- they now have access to credit, life insurance and partial medical cover; their children have access to educational scholarships; the environmental and financial contribution of their work is recognized.