The sanitary workers in Puducherry will get an enhanced minimum wage of ₹424 per day, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has said.
Participating in Swachh Bharat Diwas programme along with Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan on Friday, the Chief Minister said the wage for the conservancy workers engaged by the Local Administration on contract basis have been enhanced from ₹290 to ₹424 per day in Puducherry.
The workers would get the enhanced wages with retrospective effect from June. The government was keen on providing all assistance to the sanitary workers as the workforce remained a key factor in keeping Puducherry clean, the Chief Minister said.
Mindset change
Mr. Kailashnathan, in his address, said the cleanliness programme has become a movement in the recent times due to enhanced public participation. “When the Swachh Bharat initiative was launched, it was not merely a programme aimed to remove waste but to bring a mindset change among public on the importance of cleanliness. There is enhanced public involvement in the programme now,” the Lt. Governor said.
Mr. Kailashnathan said the Swachh programme attained traction because of the work of conservancy workers. Parallel to the launch of the cleanliness initiative was the programme taken up by the Central government on the construction of toilets. The programme of construction of toilets was intertwined with the safety of women, he said.
At the programme, the Lt. Governor and the Chief Minister jointly felicitated sanitary workers who have been selected by the local bodies for their exemplary work. They were given an incentive of ₹2,500 and a certificate. The workers were also handed over Ayushman Bharat health insurance card and protective gears under the Centre’s National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem scheme.
Earlier in the day, the Lt. Governor and Chief Minister garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Beach Promenade on the occasion of Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Pro-tem Speaker A. Anbalagan, Ministers, legislators and senior officials also garlanded the statue of the Mahatma.
Published – October 02, 2026 08:12 pm IST
