Bengaluru has rolled out the Annapoorna Scheme, a first-of-its-kind initiative that provides sanitation workers with smart cards for daily breakfast, blending financial support with dignity of choice.
Bengaluru
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) launched the Annapoorna Scheme, aimed at improving the health and morale of its sanitation workforce. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar inaugurated the programme by distributing smart cards to workers.
Under the scheme, more than 700 sanitation staff receive Axis Bank-powered smart cards, each credited with ₹1,500 per month. Workers can use the cards at eateries of their choice, allowing them to pick meals freely.
“Bengaluru is the first city to provide direct financial assistance for daily breakfast to sanitation workers. This is our way of saluting their relentless efforts,” says BWSSB chairman Ram Prasath Manohar.
Officials note that the scheme departs from traditional welfare models that provide fixed meals, instead emphasising worker autonomy and dignity. It also reflects Karnataka’s push for inclusive welfare policies, complementing health insurance, pensions, and housing schemes for civic staff.
Sanitation workers, often working long hours in difficult conditions, have historically been left on the margins of social welfare. Annapoorna seeks to bridge that gap by combining nutrition, respect, and empowerment.
