732 dist have become manual scavenging-free in India: Athawale

NEW DELHI: Ramdas Athawale, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha Tuesday, August 6, said that as of July 31, 2024, 732 districts in the country, out of a total of 766 districts, have reported themselves as manual scavenging-free.

Manual scavenging is completely banned in India and to ensure that the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) was introduced in 1993. After 20 years, another act titled ‘Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013’ was introduced.

Section 2(g) of this act defines what constitutes manual scavenging. It says, “Manual scavenger” means a person engaged or employed, at the commencement of this Act or at any time after that, by an individual or a local authority or an agency or a contractor, 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 the 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.

Last week, the minister informed the upper house (Rajya Sabha) that between 2019 and 2023, about 377 people lost their lives due to the hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

He added that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has advised the civic bodies to incorporate septic tank standards into their building bylaws, BIS 2470. Local bodies should ensure that these bylaws are complied with while giving building permissions.

Minister Athawale also informed that ₹371 crore has been approved to be released to the state under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban 2.0). This money will help small towns acquire machines to improve their mechanisation level.