Bhubaneswar, Aug. 14 (UDN): From cleaning toilets at a nursing home to operating desludging equipment as a trained sanitation professional, Jhunulata Naik of Kataka has broken a significant gender barrier by becoming Odisha’s first woman desludger.
A single mother and the sole breadwinner for her seven-year-old son, Jhunulata once faced an uncertain future after her husband left the family. Working at a nursing home and cleaning toilets was her only means of supporting her child. The job was physically demanding and offered little in terms of safety, security or social recognition.
Her life took a new turn through the GARIMA Scheme of the Odisha Government, which aims to improve the working and living conditions of Core Sanitation Workers through skill development, mechanisation, safety measures, social security and professional recognition.
From Struggle to Skilled Profession
Under the scheme, Jhunulata received specialised training from the Kataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) in desludging onsite sanitation systems.
With training and determination, she entered a field traditionally dominated by men and became the state’s first woman desludger.
Her new profession has brought a major change to her daily life. She now works in a uniform with appropriate safety equipment and receives regular remuneration. More importantly, she has gained greater confidence, independence and a sense of professional dignity.
For Jhunulata, the transformation is not simply about earning a livelihood. It represents an opportunity to build a secure future for herself and her son.
A Mother’s Dream
Despite overcoming several challenges, Jhunulata’s biggest ambition remains centred on her son. She wants to provide him with a good education and support him in pursuing higher studies.
Her journey demonstrates how access to skills, technology and a safe working environment can help women move beyond traditional occupational barriers and create sustainable livelihoods.
GARIMA’s Larger Mission
Jhunulata’s achievement also reflects the broader objective of the GARIMA Scheme, which seeks to ensure that Core Sanitation Workers can perform essential public-health duties without compromising their safety or dignity.
The initiative focuses on measures including protective equipment, mechanised sanitation practices, skill development and social-security support. The government has also announced measures aimed at strengthening financial protection for sanitation workers engaged in hazardous work.
The next major step in this effort will be the 2nd National GARIMA Conclave 2026, scheduled for August 22, which will focus on the theme “Mission Zero: Ending Fatalities in Sanitation Work.”
The mission aims to shift the focus from responding to accidents after they occur to building safer sanitation systems that prevent fatalities in the first place.
Jhunulata’s journey gives that mission a powerful human face. What began as a struggle to provide food and education for her child has evolved into a story of skill, courage and self-respect.
Today, as Odisha’s first woman desludger, she is not only earning a living—she is helping redefine what women can achieve in sanitation work while carrying forward her dream of a better future for her son.
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