Now, rag pickers' services will be recognised by the Indian government, which has decided to give national award for their contribution to keep Indiaclean.

“There are millions of rag pickers in the country. This informal sector has saved the country. They are doing a good job and I have decided to recognise their efforts. We will grant national award," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said at an event on waste management in New Delhi.

The national award, with a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, will be given to three best rag pickers and three associations involved in innovation of best practices, he added.

Stating that rag pickers are helping to some extent in handling waste, the minister pitched for setting up of a credible agency like Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that can guide municipal bodies to take measures to address waste management in a scientificway.

"At present, agencies that handle solid waste are working on contractual basis and this has failed miserably. Handling waste cannot always be a

profitable business. We have suggested that the urban ministry build a credible agency like DMRC that can give scientific guidance," he said.

The minister also mentioned that there are adequate funds for waste management. "What is lacking is scientific guidance to handle different kinds ofwaste," he said.

Expressing concern over the large quantity of untreated waste and sewage in the country, Javadekar said that current rules have been revised to ensure every village of over 5,000 population has a waste treatment plant.

The country generates 62 million tonnes of waste annually. "This is expected to increase to 165 million tonnes by 2030 and 450 million tonnes by 2050," he said, adding that the worrying fact is that 68 percent of waste and sewage is not treated in the country at present.

He said the new draft norms on waste management, which aim to put in place a strong mechanism to address concerns related to different kinds of waste, would be implemented from August-end after seeking public comments.