BWSSB Launches ‘Annapoorna Scheme’ for Sanitation Workers

### Rapid Summary
– The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is introducing the ‘Annapoorna Scheme’ for sanitation workers, touted as the first-of-its-kind initiative in India.
– Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will formally launch the scheme, distributing smart cards to sanitation workers on Monday.
– The Annapoorna Scheme provides more than 700 sanitation workers with Axis Bank-enabled smart cards credited with ₹1,500 per month for purchasing daily breakfast at food outlets of their choice.
– BWSSB chairman Ram Prasath Manohar emphasized combining technology with compassion and ensuring health, nutrition, and respect for sanitation staff through this initiative.
– The scheme aims to establish Bengaluru as a “Smart city with a humane touch,” possibly serving as a model for other metropolitan cities in India.
– Sanitation workers’ unions have expressed concerns that over 3,000 contract workers are excluded from this benefit. President S. Balan of BWSSB Gottigai Karmikara Sangha called for an extension to include all workers and announced protests on Monday.

### Indian Opinion Analysis
The Annapoorna scheme is a critically important step toward improving the welfare of frontline healthcare professions like sanitation workforces frequently enough overlooked despite essential contributions. By leveraging technology such as prepaid smart cards, BWSSB emphasizes dignity through financial autonomy while prioritizing nutritional needs-marking an innovative approach blending policy incentives human empathy important reflection large cities national scale follow suit initiatives example.Certainly extending remaining Recognizing barriers/extension-tokenultiplicity;?>