CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation is launching a new initiative to provide an alternative livelihood for rag pickers in which they would be permitted to go to people's homes and collect waste that can be sold to private recycling companies.

According to a report in The Hindu, a cooperative society comprising of rag pickers, starting with those from the Kodungaiyur dump yard, will be formed in the coming week to facilitate the door-to-door collection process.

Following a screening process, 56 rag pickers have been selected to use new battery-operated vehicles for their collections. Civic authorities said that the majority of the 306 rag pickers involved in the project belong to Scheduled Caste communities.

Each ragpicker will be assigned a vehicle, and their contact information will be shared with residents in specific neighborhoods. The rag pickers will receive training for the process, and the GCC would also create awareness among the residents associations about the mission.

In an effort to facilitate better integration, the GCC has joined hands with Anna University and various government departments that would assist the rag pickers in opening bank accounts and obtaining Aadhaar cards to ensure they can benefit from various government welfare schemes.