Life of a ragpicker(150-250 words)
Answers
Explanation:
The Life of a Rag-Picker
While shopping in the market or travelling we must have noticed women and children carrying huge bags
over their shoulders full of polythene bags, plastic bottles, paper, metal parts and other useless items.
Dogs chase them, people shrink away and the police threaten and abuse them and often beat them away.
We can’t even imagine how these seemingly ‘dirty’ people can contribute towards making our city clean.
But we don’t realize that when we eat and drink branded wafers and colas and throw the empty packets
and cans on the roads, these people pick them up and recycle them. These people contribute towards the
life of our cities both by cleaning the garbage off the streets and pavements and by helping the
environment by recycling materials that we consider only as waste. Most rag-pickers are extremely poor,
illiterate, and belong to rural migrant families. Poverty forces both adults and children into this hazardous
work. The rag-pickers are exposed to e-waste, medical waste and all kinds of harmful gases and
substances. They go barefoot and work without gloves or other protective clothing. In those tender years
when we lived protected lives, these children are exposed to all the evils, violence, abuse, dangers and
difficulties in the world. Despite contributing in terms of maintaining cleanliness and protecting our
environment, these people are treated as illegal and unwelcome residents in our cities. Let us acknowledge
the contribution made by these ‘invisible’ people. These poor people are trying to earn their livelihood
with dignity and thus let us treat them with respect and equality, giving them the dignity they seek.
Answer:
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