Centre asks states to conduct re-survey of manual scavengers

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Centre has asked states to conduct re-surveys to identify people who practice manual scavenging as the total number of such persons known officially at present "may not be correct", a senior official said today.
"The number of identified manual scavengers across the country is little over 12,000. Uttar Pradesh alone has 10,000 manual scavengers. But the actual number of people who are practicing manual scavenging could be much more than that.
"We have requested all the states to take into account details with safai karmachari andolans (organisations representing sanitary workers) and others (to arrive at correct figures)," Anita Agnihotri, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said.

The official made the remark during a press briefing called to inform about Swachhta Pakhwada (Cleanliness Fortnight) observed by the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Social Justice and Empowerment.
Secretaries of Civil Aviation and Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministries, Rajiv Nayan Choubey and Parmeswaran Iyer, were also present on the occasion.
Agnihotri said the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013' (MS Act, 2013), which prohibits employment of a person as manual scavenger, suggests two ways of identifying people into the practice -- self identification and through surveys by civic bodies.

"Very often people who are genuinely into manual scavenging don't come out as the act already got the practice banned and the actual figures don't come out. Hence, the safai karmachari andolan working all over the country should come along," she added.

To a question, the official said it is not possible to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging until the cleanliness system becomes mechanised completely.
The National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development
Corporation, which is under the Ministry, had also organised five awareness camps themed 'Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers' in five districts of Uttar Pradesh -- Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur and JP Nagar.
During a July 31 event in Moradabad, Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot flagged off e-rickshaws provided to 36 manual scavengers and their dependents, an official statement said.
Choubey said the Civil Aviation Ministry observed the fortnight across airports managed by AAI. The Ministry has also adopted 20 villages for making them open defecation free (ODF) as part of its cleanliness activities.

The Ministry also carried out a passenger survey on cleanliness at airports across the country during the fortnight and found Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata and Raipur among the cleanest airports.
Iyer declared that the Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry has constituted Swachh Pakhwada awards to be given to ministries annually based on their performance during a fortnight.