Govt. should give priority to protect job of women rag pickers: Jairam Ramesh

Ahmedabad, Jan 28 (ANI): Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said that the government should give priority to save the job of the women rag pickers.

Talking to reporters after visiting the Self Employed Women Association (SEWA) Centre here, Ramesh said: "In our country there are around 15 lakh rag pickers and especially majority of them are women. They belong to poor families. We should give priority to protect the job of rag pickers."

Assuring, the women workers, he said that he would give directions to his officials to take measures to save the job of women rag pickers and work for the upliftment of the class.

He further urged the women not to indulge their children into any kind of labour and rather send them to school for education and proper mental growth.

"We should also think that five-to-ten-year down the line when your children grow up then they should not become rag pickers. They should have a better future," added Ramesh.

The Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA) is a trade union for poor, self-employed women workers in India.

SEWA aims to mainstream marginalized, poor women in the informal sector and lift them out of their poverty. (ANI)