Odisha Garima Scheme 2026 for Safety and Dignity of Core Sanitation Workers

Odisha Garima Scheme 2026 is a state-wide scheme of the Housing and Urban Development Department for the safety and dignity of core sanitation workers. It was launched on 11 September 2020 and now runs across all the urban local bodies (ULBs) of the state.

GARIMA stands for Gaurav and Respect for Individuals Involved in Manual Activities. The scheme identifies and registers core sanitation workers through a state-wide survey, provides them machines and proper personal protective equipment, and links them with social welfare and financial benefits.

Under the current government, the scheme has been expanded further. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi launched "Mission Zero" at the 2nd National GARIMA Conclave in August 2026 to end fatal accidents among sanitation workers. More than 10,000 sanitation workers have been identified and trained as skilled or highly skilled professionals across 115 ULBs of the state.

Odisha Garima Scheme 2026 for Core Sanitation Workers

Core sanitation workers deal with faecal matter and hazardous cleaning work, which puts their health, safety and dignity at risk. For the first time in the country, the Housing and Urban Development Department of Odisha launched a dedicated scheme for these workers. The main aim is to end manual scavenging and make sanitation work safe, mechanized and dignified.

Under the scheme, a dedicated corpus fund was created and a State Commission for Core Sanitation Workers was set up. The Garima Scheme is being implemented in all the urban local bodies of the state, and a special category of wages along with risk and hardship allowance has been introduced for core sanitation work.

Detail	Information
Scheme Name	GARIMA (Gaurav and Respect for Individuals Involved in Manual Activities)
Launched By	Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha
Launch Date	11 September 2020
Beneficiaries	Core sanitation workers and their families
Coverage	All urban local bodies (ULBs) of Odisha
Helpline	14420
Official Website	urban.odisha.gov.in

Objectives of Garima Scheme

The Garima scheme is a first-of-its-kind initiative by any state in India. It was launched to provide a complete package of safety, social security and financial support to core sanitation workers. The main aims of the scheme are given below.

1. Institutionalizing and regulating the core sanitation services across the state
2. Providing service level benefits to registered core sanitation workers
3. Providing social security benefits to core sanitation workers along with their families
4. Giving financial benefits to manual scavengers and their families
5. Increasing focus on enforcement of statutory provisions under national and state laws

Around 20,000 core sanitation workers and their families, covering about 1 lakh population, are expected to benefit from the scheme.

Official Launch of the Odisha Garima Scheme

The Garima scheme was launched on 11 September 2020 by the then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik led state government. Under the scheme, a survey was carried out to identify sanitation workers engaged in core sanitation jobs and to register them in a database.

Registration of private sanitation service organizations with ULBs for authorization was also made part of the scheme. Working hours of sanitation workers were limited to 6 hours per day, and the workers and their family members were given health insurance.

Benefits of Odisha Garima Scheme 2026 for Sanitation Workers

Odisha Garima Scheme aims to identify core sanitation workers through a state-wide survey. It registers core sanitation workers, makes registration of sanitation service providers required, and ensures supply of machines and proper PPEs for safe working conditions. The Government of Odisha provides several benefits to core sanitation workers under the Garima scheme, which are given below.

• Skill improvement and training for better service and safety
• Counselling support to learn new skills
• Financial support for alternative livelihood
• Health and life insurance cover
• Disability support
• Periodic health check-ups
• Housing support, including linking with PMAY (Urban)
• Educational support for the family
• Mobility support and mobile support
• Special category of wages for core sanitation work
• Risk and hardship allowance
• Financial support to families in case of accident or injury
• House grant and support to buy two wheelers up to 90% of the cost
• Access to EPF and retirement benefits
• Post service benefits and illness allowance

All these benefits under Odisha Garima Scheme provide further security to around 20,000 core sanitation workers and their families, covering at least one lakh population.

Latest Updates in 2026

At the 2nd National GARIMA Conclave held in August 2026, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Maji launched "Mission Zero" to end fatal accidents among sanitation workers. Under this, workplaces are being made fully safe with modern equipment, protective gear and structured training.

The government has also announced a life insurance scheme of Rs 10 lakh for sanitation workers engaged in hazardous work and Rs 30 lakh compensation in case of death on duty. The GARIMA helpline 14420 remains operational across the state for information and complaint help.

Official Website and Helpline

For more details about the Odisha Garima Scheme, visit the official website of the Housing and Urban Development Department at urban.odisha.gov.in. Sanitation workers can also call the GARIMA helpline number 14420 for information and support.

FAQ's

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Garima scheme in Odisha.