Latest news with #theirRehabilitationAct
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Bare hands, broken lives: The untold story of Odisha's drain cleaners
Narrow definition It's a narrow definition of law that keeps these sanitary workers out of the ambit of social security while denying them safety and dignity at work. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (or MS Act, 2013) defines manual scavengers as people who manually clean or handle untreated human excreta from insanitary latrines or railway tracks. Under Section 2(g) of the Act, hazardous cleaning of sewer lines, septic tanks, manholes and interceptor chambers is strictly prohibited and a punishable offence. As per reports of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Odisha had only 230 manual scavengers (till July 2024) and there are no dry/insanitary latrines (which need manual cleaning) in the state. These 230 persons have been completely rehabilitated, as per government records. Workers like Purnima and Dhananjay scavenge all forms of waste including human waste from open drains but do not come under the ambit of manual scavenging given the definition. Because, they do not work in dry/insanitary latrines which as per official records do not exist. And going by the same definition, the Odisha government asserts that the state is free from the practice of manual scavenging which is majorly mechanised now. The Safai Karamchari Andolan in Odisha has long been demanding identification of workers engaged for drain desiltation as manual scavengers but in vain. National convenor of the Andolan and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Bezwada Wilson said it is a fact that many houses in urban areas of Odisha do not have septic tanks even today. 'Both kitchen and bathroom water and everything else comes to these drains including untreated human excreta. So, cleaning these drains should be considered manual scavenging,' added Wilson. All the civic bodies play it smartly as they outsource the drain desiltation work to private agencies who, in turn, employ sanitary workers on a daily wage basis. Considered unskilled, these workers get roughly around Rs 430 per day as daily wage. And work without any form of protection. Only a few are under the payroll of the agencies which provide them a salary of around Rs 12,000 with EPF benefits.
The Hindu
07-06-2025
- The Hindu
Govt. asks Commissioners of ULBs in Andhra Pradesh to ensure no person is engaged in manual scavenging
Following the directions issued by the Andhra Pradesh High Court as part of its judgment on April 23, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department has asked the Commissioners of all the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to ensure the strict implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The court had emphasised the need for timely payment of compensation and provision of full rehabilitation measures, including employment to the spouse, free education to children, and appropriate skill training to the kin of the deceased sewer workers. Following the directions, the department had on June 6, 2025, directed the Commissioners of all the ULBs in the State to see to it that no person was engaged in manual scavenging and that all cleaning operations were fully mechanised. 'Manual entry into sewers or septic tanks shall be strictly prohibited under all circumstances,' an official release said. The release added that in exceptional cases, where manual intervention was unavoidable, prior approval must be obtained from the Commissioner concerned and all prescribed safety equipment must be provided in accordance with the PEMSR Act, 2013. In the event of death in a sewer or septic tank, irrespective of whether the deceased was employed directly, indirectly, or through a contractor, an ex gratia of ₹30 lakh shall be mandatorily paid to the next of kin by the agency concerned, the release said. The department also asked the Commissioners to ensure that FIRs were promptly registered against any individual, agency, or contractor under relevant sections, and set up a dedicated helpline or mechanism for reporting violations and grievances related to manual scavenging. The Commissioners had been asked to create awareness among municipal staff, contractors, and the public on the legal prohibitions and penalties associated with manual scavenging, and the rights and rehabilitation measures available to the affected persons. The 2013 Act deals with the provisions of sanitary latrines, identification of manual scavengers and their rehabilitation, responsibilities of local authorities for elimination of insanitary latrines, implementation mechanism, procedure for trial, vigilance committees and miscellaneous.
