Awareness, Perception & Involvement of Child Ragpickers in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Child ragpicking is a type of informal waste collection practiced by children to survive, and this practice exposes them to dangerous situations and leaves them outside of formal sanitation systems, The aim of the study is to critically examine how far child ragpickers understand Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan(SBA) and how they see themselves in the mission and whether their hygiene habits and lived experience are consistent with the mission goals. It also aims to analyse whether SBA policies acknowledge or favour this vulnerable population and evaluates their hopes of education, security and dignified livelihood beyond ragpicking. A survey of 479 child rag pickers under the age of 14 years was conducted in four districts of Punjab, Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur and Barnala with the help of a structured interview schedule. The research measures five fundamental dimensions, namely, SBA awareness, involvement in cleanliness activities, hygiene and sanitation behaviour, perception of waste management, and future aspirations. In exploring these dimensions, the research will draw attention to the lack of connection between the objectives of the programme and the actual experiences of children who work at the bottom of the waste economy, and therefore, the necessity to formally incorporate them, provide them with welfare, and protect them with policies in the Indian sanitation system.