The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to send a 10-member group of ‘safai karmcharis’ (sweepers) and ‘beldars’ (diggers) on an official trip to Japan and South Korea next week so they can learn about sanitation, cleanliness and waste disposal.
Explaining the decision, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar said, “We took the decision to boost their morale. They must know how cities abroad are maintained by ground-level staff,” AFP reported.
All the group members were issued official passports recently.
“I never dreamt I will have a passport. I could never imagine I would go abroad one day,” said Lalit Kumar, a sweeper.
The group will leave for Tokyo on November 22 and head to Seoul on November 26. During the trip, they will visit several facilities related to cleanliness and waste disposal before returning on November 29.
