Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Odisha Plans AI, Cameras and Drones to Protect Sanitation Workers
Odisha wants to make sanitation work safer.
Some workers can die when they enter septic tanks because dangerous gases may be inside.
The government plans to use cameras, drones, artificial intelligence and special oxygen equipment to help protect them.
These tools can check whether a tank is safe before someone enters.
They can also let other people watch what is happening inside the tank.
Workers will receive training to use the new equipment.
Odisha also plans to provide helmets, oxygen masks and other safety gear.
The chief minister said the goal is zero deaths, not just compensation after an accident.
The fourth Saturday of August will be observed as Garima Diwas to promote sanitation workers’ safety and dignity.
Odisha will deploy AI, cameras, drones, oxygen systems and other equipment to reduce sanitation-work fatalities.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that the fourth Saturday of August will be observed as Garima Diwas.
Technology will be used to detect toxic gases and show workers inside septic tanks to people outside.
The state plans to provide training, oxygen masks, helmets and other safety equipment to sanitation workers.
Odisha has announced Rs 10 lakh life insurance and is providing housing and social-security support to sanitation workers and their families.
- Who
- Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state officials, sanitation-sector experts and sanitation workers.
- What
- Odisha announced a Mission Zero plan using modern technology and safety measures to prevent deaths in sanitation work.
- When
- The announcement was made on Saturday, August 22; the fourth Saturday of August will now be observed as Garima Diwas.
- Where
- Bhubaneswar, Odisha, at a national workshop on “Mission Zero – Ending Fatality in Sanitation Work.”
- Why
- Sanitation workers can be exposed to toxic gases and suffocation when cleaning septic tanks, so the state wants to prevent accidents and fatalities.
- Mission goal
- Zero casualties in sanitation-related work.
- Planned technology
- Artificial intelligence, camera systems, drones, oxygen systems and other modern tools.
- Safety equipment
- Oxygen masks, helmets and equipment to detect toxic gases and assess septic-tank safety.
- Garima Diwas
- The fourth Saturday of August will be observed annually to raise awareness of sanitation workers’ safety, security and social welfare.
- Insurance support
- Odisha announced Rs 10 lakh life insurance for sanitation workers; two beneficiaries received Rs 10 lakh each.
- Workshop participation
- Experts and sanitation-sector officials from eight states attended, along with sanitation workers.
- Related schemes
- The workshop highlighted the Centre’s NAMASTE scheme and Odisha’s Garima Yojana.