Socio-Economic analysis of rag pickers of Punjab: A case study of District Faridkot

The present paper attempts to closely access the socio-economic conditions of the rag pickers who roam about amidst the garbage dumps in this glittering world of globalization. The study is carried out in the Faridkot district of Punjab, once considered as the 'Food Bowl' of India. This district is not an industrialized district of the state Punjab, but still presents a gloomy situation as regards the condition of poor homeless children indulging in rag-picking. Although the New Economic Policy boasts highly about the economic development and growth, yet this section of the social structure is miles away from even getting a decent opportunity to earn their livelihoods. The paper exposes that majority of the rag pickers are children who enter this gloomy profession at the tender age of 6-8. No doubt, the government has introduced the 'Right to Education', the rag picker children see the books not in schools but as discarded and torn away bits of paper on their so called work fields (garbage dumps). And taking them to schools will only deprive these children and their families of the meager income obtained from selling the rags or the thrown away material. The authors wonder whether such a thing as 'Right to Decent Living' or 'Right to Good Food' can be brought into practice, since things as good education do not make any sense if one is to sleep with empty stomachs. However, enforcing such rights would violate the whole concept of the 'Survival of the Fittest'. The policies such as Globalization, Liberalization and Privatization tend to make the already fit' fittest' but neglect the downtrodden strata of the society as if they are not even a part of the society. Much has been said and written against child labor, but not much has been done to wipe off this evil. The census also does not provide any insight into the number of children who indulge in rag picking. On the whole, the paper attempts to take up the study on an issue, not much explored.