'No dry latrines to be set up at Simhastha Kumbh Mela'

No dry latrines, which lead to manual scavenging, will be constructed at the Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik, the government today said.
"The state government of Maharashtra has informed that no dry latrines are constructed or proposed to be constructed for the Sinhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik," Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla said in a written response to a question in Rajya Sabha.
In reply to another question related to the issue, Sampla said the National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) is implementing a scheme 'Swachhta Udyami Yojana' (SUY) for rehabilitation of safai karmacharis, identified manual scavenging and their dependants.

Under the scheme, financial assistance in the form of loan at concessional rate of interest will be provided for the projects upto Rs 25 lakh for setting up pay-and-use community toilet under the public-private partnership mode.
An amount upto Rs 15 lakh for procurement of sanitation- related vehicles such as garbage trucks, suction jetting machine and vacuum loader etc is given.
"The scheme is implemented under the PPP model under which NSKFDC provides financial assistance in the form of loan at concessional rate upto 90 per cent of project cost and balance 10 per cent is shared by the state government or the beneficiary," the minister said.