Bridging the Society gap, 13,587 manual scavengers and their dependents to get training under skill development

New Delhi, January 31: The Government will conduct a survey to identify people still working as manual scavengers. The survey will be conducted in 164 districts of 18 states to identify the real data of manual scavengers.

13 States have reported identification 13,638 manual scavengers of which 12,670 manual scavengers have been provided onetime cash assistance of Rs. 40,000/- each. In addition, proposals to provide skill development training to 13,587 manual scavengers and their dependents have been sanctioned.

Census-2011 had reported existence of 26,06,278 insanitary latrines including 7,94,390 insanitary latrines manually. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation have reported that after survey of 2,59,390 Gram Panchayats 2,79,568 insanitary latrines were identified of which 2,67,083 have been converted into sanitary latrines under Swachh Bharat Mission.

Despite the ban on manual scavenging in India, over 300 cases of deaths due to manual scavenging have been reported from across the country in 2017 alone, according to a reply given by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to the Lok Sabha in December last year.

Manual Scavenging is prohibited under "Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013". The Act also provides for identification of all the persons who were engaged as manual scavengers on the above date or thereafter and rehabilitation of all the identified manual scavengers and their dependents.