Overview
- Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar launched the Annapoorna Scheme on September 1 by distributing Axis Bank smart cards to sanitation staff.
- More than 700 BWSSB workers are in the initial rollout, with each card credited ₹1,500 monthly for breakfast at outlets of their choice.
- BWSSB bills the programme as a first-of-its-kind, technology-enabled welfare initiative and a potential model for other cities.
- The BWSSB Gottigai Karmikara Sangha says the plan benefits only around 1,400 workers and excludes over 3,000 contract staff, and it has announced protests.
- Officials describe the launch as a pilot focused on dignity, nutrition and flexibility, with additional welfare measures under consideration.