• No death has been reported due to manual scavenging, the ministry of social justice and empowerment has told Parliament.

• Manual scavenging is banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

• In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has said 66,692 manual scavengers were identified.

• However, on how many deaths of manual scavengers have been recorded, he replied, “No such deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging.”

• The response drew sharp reaction from activists who said that those people were being robbed of dignity even in their deaths.

• The government does not identify deaths due to manual scavenging and instead calls them deaths due to hazardous cleaning of septic tanks and sewers.

Manual scavenging

• Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling in any manner, human excreta from dry latrines and sewers. It often involves using the most basic of tools such as buckets, brooms and baskets. 

• The practice of manual scavenging is linked to caste system where so-called lower castes were expected to perform this job. Manual scavengers are amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged communities.

• In order to liberate the manual scavengers from their traditional occupation and to provide rehabilitation to them, a National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers (NSLRS) was launched in 1992.

Legislative measures to eradicate manual scavenging

• The first legislative initiative to eradicate manual scavenging was taken with the enactment of ‘Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993’ under which construction and maintenance of dry latrines and employment of persons to clean them was prohibited. 

• The inhuman practice of manual scavenging, arising from the continuing existence of insanitary latrines and a highly iniquitous caste system, persisted in various parts of the country. 

• It emerged from the House Listing and Housing Census 2011 released by the Registrar General of India that more than 26 lakh insanitary latrines still existed. This includes about 7 lakh insanitary latrines serviced by humans.

• To correct the historical injustice and indignity suffered by the manual scavengers, and to rehabilitate them to a life of dignity, Parliament enacted the ‘Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013’ in September, 2013 which came into effect December 6, 2013. 

The legislation has the following objectives:

• Eliminate insanitary latrines by converting them into sanitary latrines.

• Prohibit employment of persons for manual scavenging and hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

• Identify the manual scavengers and rehabilitate them in alternative occupations.

• Though ‘The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013’ prohibits hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, it is reported in the media from time to time that a large number of persons are still being engaged for manual cleaning of septic tanks and sewers, which sometimes results in tragic death of such workers.

• According to the House Listing and Housing Census 2011, states such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal account for more than 72 per cent of the insanitary latrines in India.

• Recently, the WHO released a report titled Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers.

• The report says that, while manual scavenging for many may have ended as a form of employment, the stigma and discrimination associated with it lingers on

• This makes it difficult for liberated manual scavengers to secure alternative livelihoods.

• People could once again return to manual scavenging in the absence of other opportunities to support their families.

• Correctly identifying manual scavengers remains a key challenge.

Schemes for rehabilitation of manual scavengers

• The ministry of social justice and empowerment is implementing a Self Employment Scheme for the Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) through National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) 

• Under the scheme, identified manual scavengers, one from each family, are provided one-time cash assistance of Rs 40,000. 

• The identified manual scavengers and their dependents are provided project based back-ended capital subsidy up to Rs 3,25,000 and concessional loan for undertaking self-employment ventures. 

National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)

• The existing measures have not succeeded in elimination of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and a more serious, stringent and focused strategy framework is required to be put in place. 

• A National Action Plan has been formulated in consultation with various ministries and departments to eliminate manual cleaning of sewer system and septic tanks and rehabilitation of workers engaged in manual cleaning. 

• National Action Plan for Mechanized Ecosystem (NAMASTE) is a coordinated action, wherein the ministry of social justice and empowerment will act as the nodal ministry for implementing the plan.

• It would ensure the role of a coordinating ministry dealing primarily with monitoring, rehabilitation and skilling of sanitation worker engaged in hazardous cleaning.

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