More

    729 Districts Free of Manual Scavenging

    Civil societyHuman rights729 Districts Free of Manual Scavenging
    - Advertisment -

    729 Districts Free of Manual Scavenging

    A protocol has been developed, highlighting the minimum standards in mechanization of sewer and septic tank cleaning operations to minimize the need for hazardous manual entry and prevent casualties of Safaimitras.

    729 districts have reported themselves as manual scavenging free as of March 2024, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

    Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, launched on 1st  October, 2021, includes a new component, i.e. Used Water Management (UWM) with one of the objectives of eradication of hazardous entry into sewers and septic tanks, through mechanization of sewer and septic tank cleaning operations for which Central share funds for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) with population less than 1 lakh are released for procuring adequate numbers of septic tank desludging equipments.

    For replacing manhole with machine hole, additional central assistance is provided under SBM-U 2.0 for procurement of mechanized desludging/cleaning equipment, training of SafaiMitras, capacity building and public awareness. A protocol has been developed, highlighting the minimum standards in mechanization of sewer and septic tank cleaning operations to minimize the need for hazardous manual entry and prevent casualties of Safaimitras, the minister said.

    According to the Prohibition of Employment As Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, a “Manual Scavenger” is a person engaged or employed by an individual or a local authority or a public or private agency, for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or otherwise handling in any manner, human excreta in an insanitary latrine or in an open drain or pit into which the human excreta from insanitary latrines is disposed of, or on a railway track or in such other spaces or premises, as the central government or a state government may notify, before the excreta fully decomposes in such manner as may be prescribed, and the expression “manual scavenging” shall be construed accordingly.

    - Advertisement -

    “Hazardous Cleaning” by an employee, in relation to a sewer or septic tank, means its manual cleaning by such employee without the employer fulfilling his obligations to provide protective gear and other cleaning devices and ensuring observance of safety precautions, as may be prescribed or provided in any other law, for the time being in force or rules made thereunder.

    Image: Sharada Prasad / Flickr

    - Advertisement -

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Latest news

    World-Class Education Key to Making India a Developed Nation by 2047: NITI Aayog

    The report is based on extensive discussions with state government officials from over 20 states and union territories, vice-chancellors and senior academics from 50 SPUs, and chairpersons of several state higher education councils.

    Google’s Willingness to Develop AI for Weapons Raises Concerns: Human Rights Watch

    Google’s revised Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy signals a worrying shift in the company’s stance on the development of AI for military applications, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned.

    In the Lok Sabha: Government Committed to Addressing Climate Change, Says Minister

    The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched several schemes targeting pollution control, afforestation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource management.

    Closing in on an End to Plastic Pollution

    We need to think innovatively regarding chemicals of concern, taking inspiration from existing agreements that protect us from harmful chemicals.
    - Advertisement -

    WFP, FAO Warn of the Severity of the Climate Crisis and Food Insecurity

    Global temperatures are likely to reach 2°C by 2045. It is estimated that this will trigger a rise in sea levels by several meters, the melting of polar caps, and irreversible damage to critical ecosystems around the world.

    The Challenge of the “Carbon Aristocracy”

    According to Oxfam, the world’s richest 1 per cent are responsible for 15 per cent of global emissions. This class is mostly made up of millionaires, who now total nearly 60 million globally and are projected to grow in number to over 65 million by 2028

    Must read

    World-Class Education Key to Making India a Developed Nation by 2047: NITI Aayog

    The report is based on extensive discussions with state government officials from over 20 states and union territories, vice-chancellors and senior academics from 50 SPUs, and chairpersons of several state higher education councils.

    Google’s Willingness to Develop AI for Weapons Raises Concerns: Human Rights Watch

    Google’s revised Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy signals a worrying shift in the company’s stance on the development of AI for military applications, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned.
    - Advertisement -

    More from the sectionRELATED
    Recommended to you