729 districts out of 766 districts declared themselves as Manual Scavenging free

As on 31.01.2024, out of 766 districts in the country, 729 districts have reported themselves as manual scavenging free.

Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, launched on 1^st  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 was 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 differentiation between Manual Scavengers and those engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks are given in the Prohibition of Employment As Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 which is as under:-

“Manual Scavenger” means 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.

“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.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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MG/MS/VL