Although specifically banned by a law passed in 2003 manual scavenging continues with census 2011 estimating that nearly 8 lakh people were involved i. Government claims to have assisted 91% of indias manual. The inhuman job of cleaning night soil manually is still practiced in many parts of rural punjab, according to the latest figures of the socio economic and caste census secc 2011. Rehabilitating former manual scavengers united nations india.
It is a criminal, nonbailable act, but manual scavenging continues. The safai karmachari andolan, an organization that works for the rights of sanitation workers, argues that the real figure is closer to more than six times the seccs estimate. The same census report also revealed that in karnataka state, there were 64,30,515 households without toilets, implying that they were either dependent on public toilets or were defecating in open which may also require manual intervention and thus may also promote manual scavenging. Trapped in manual scavenging the new indian express. Manual scavenging, caste, and discrimination in india hrw. Existence of manually serviced latrines in the statesuts points to the fact that the practice of manual scavenging is yet to be eliminated there.
The 2011 census recorded 740,078 households that have their waste and faecal matter cleared out by manual scavengers. House listing data on census 2011 conducted by registrar general of india rgi revealed. In india, over a lakh rural households are dependent on manual scavenging for income, according to the 2011 socioeconomic and caste census. As many as 167,487 households reported a member of the household as a manual scavenger, according to an earlier reply in the lok sabha parliaments lower house by the ministry of rural development on february 25, 2016, based on the socio economic and caste census 2011. Despite the parliament enacting a legislation to prohibit manual scavenging, it goes on and the funds allocated for rehabilitation are hardly spent. How this delhi dcs initiative is gifting a new life to. Government claims to have assisted 91% of indias manual scavengers, without counting 93% of them. Manual scavenging is a castebased occupation involving the removal of untreated human excreta from bucket toilets or pit latrines, that has been officially abolished by law in india as a dehumanizing practice. There are significant differences in the number of manual scavengers identified by the states and those identified in the social economic caste census secc 2011. As per the socioeconomic caste census secc 2011, rural maharashtra alone has 65,181 households where at least one person is employed as a manual scavenger, the highest in the country, accounting for 35 per cent of the.
As per the socio economic and caste census 2011 secc 2011 data of manual scavengers released by the ministry of rural development on 03. According to socio economic caste census 2011, 180,657 households are engaged in manual scavenging for a livelihood. Review of prohibition of employment as manual scavengers. Even after 70 years of independence, manual scavenging still persists in india. Rehabilitating manual scavengers english, hindi manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling in any manner, human excreta from dry latrines and sewers. Central government has asked states and union territories to verify socioeconomic and caste census secc, 2011 to identify manual scavengers. In 20, prohibition of employment as manual scavengers and their rehabilitation bill, to ban manual. In fact, punjab is the worst among the northern states in this regard with 11,949 people engaged in manual scavenging. The 2011 census records the presence of 740,078 households where waste and excreta is cleared out by manual scavengers. Census 2011 belies gujarats claims, 2,500 households.
Guidelines for survey on manual scavengers in statutory towns. The 2011 census of india found 794,000 cases of manual scavenging across india. It often involves using the most basic of tools such as buckets, brooms and baskets. According to the official 2011 census, dalits constitute. The 2011 census of indiafound 794,000 cases of manual scavenging across india the state of maharashtra, with 63,7, tops the list with the largest number of households working as manual scavengers, followed by the states of. Highest numbers of manual scavengers were identified in the state of maharashtra. The socioeconomic caste census 2011 shows there are 1,80,657 households engaged in manual scavenging for their livelihood. Census raises stink over manual scavenging pune news. After 25 years of broken promises, india is counting its. As per the socio economic and caste census 2011 secc2011 data which is based on respondent input as revealed by the household to the enumerator and released by ministry of rural development 1,82,505 respondent households in rural areas reported themselves as manual scavengers. According to socioeconomic and caste census 2011 of rural india, 1,80,657 rural households surveyed were engaged in manual scavenging. Manual scavenging is prohibited under the prohibition of employment as.
Rediff labs analysed the socioeconomic caste census 2011 data on number of manual scavengers in india. In 20, new legislation within the variety of manual scavengers act was passed that seeks to bolster this ban by prohibiting manual scavenging all together forms and rehabilitation of manual scavengers to be known through a compulsory survey. However, the number of persons still engaged in manual scavenging 1india. Existence of manually serviced latrines in the statesuts points to the fact that the. Contrary to the state governments claim that maharashtra does not have manual scavengers, census 2011 has found a high prevalence of this revolting. The figure was a gross underrepresentation, considering that there are 740,078 households across india where human waste is physically removed by a person from a dry latrine according to the 2011 census. The state of maharashtra, with 63,7, tops the list with the largest number of households working as manual scavengers, followed by the states of madhya pradesh, uttar pradesh, tripura and karnataka. Socioeconomic caste census 2011 important data for. As per the socio economic and caste census 2011 secc2011 data of manual scavengers released by the ministry of rural development. This leaves 93% of total manual scavengers deprived of reaping benefits of the law.
Government of india will use the data of socioeconomic caste census 2011, to implement many of its flagship social schemes. Socioeconomic caste census 2011, was significant as it carried out the first caste census post1931, and the fourth survey carried out to find the number of below poverty line households. References rashtriya garima abhiyan justice denied. Over a lakh rural households still depend on manual scavenging for. Indias far from modis target of ending manual scavenging this year. As per the houselisting and housing census, 2011, there were 7. According to the 2011 census, dry latrines exist in all statesuts except in goa, sikkim, chandigarh and lakshadweep. Manual scavenging is a castebased occupation for dalits. While we have to wait for the next census to get more updated. The employment of manual scavenging and construction of dry latrines.
For gujarat, that has declared itself as a manual scavenging free state since 1992, the data from census 2011 reveals a presence of over 2,500 households in the state where the night soil is removed physically by humans. India is the only country in the world where a particular section of the society is. After 25 years of broken promises, india is counting its manual scavengers. This number does not include the septic tanks, public sewers and railway tracks which are also mostly cleaned by manual scavengers. Death of workers engaged in manual scavenging while cleaning the.
Despite progress, manual scavenging persists in india. Causes of manual scavenging in india less number of waterborne latrines. But the number of manual scavengers identified by the states is just 7%. With over 15,000 enumerated manual scavengers in rural parts of the state, karnataka remains in the top five of the ignominious list recorded by the socio economic and caste census 2011. Assuming there is only one person in those identified households doing manual scavenging, there are at least 182,505 manual scavengers in india. As per the socio economic and caste census 2011 secc 2011 data which is based on respondent input as revealed by the household to the enumerator and released by ministry of rural development 1,82,505 respondent households in rural areas reported themselves as manual scavengers. Instructions manual ministry of social justice and. Cleaning human waste manual scavenging, caste, and. As per the 2011 census data, latrines from which night soil is manually removed exist in. Karnataka worst in the south in manual scavenging numbers. A report by housinglisting and housing census, 2011 indicates that there are approximately 26 million insanitary latrines. But, the number of manual scavengers identified by the states is just 7% of the households with at least a single member engaged in manual scavenging, according to census 2011. Also, census 2011 reported that in over 740,078 households excluding septic tanks, public sewers and railway tracks excreta was cleared out by manual scavengers.
House listing and housing census 2011 released by registrar general shows. Between 2016 and 2018, up to 123 manual scavengers have. In india, in the urban areas, the major type of latrines used is the dry latrines which are a major cause of manual scavenging. It typically involves using the foremost basic of tools like buckets, brooms and baskets. Socio economic caste census of 2011 identified 1,82,505 manual scavengers in rural areas alone. The international dalit solidarity network works on a global level to eliminate caste discrimination affecting human rights of over 260 million people. Ministry of social justice and empowerment, instructions manual, february, 20 pp. Again, as per the socioeconomic caste census 2011 there are 182,505 families in rural india who are engaged in manual scavenging. The socioeconomic and caste census of 2011 had identified 1,80,657 households of manual scavengers across india. It involves moving the excreta, using brooms and tin plates, into baskets, which the workers carry to disposal locations sometimes several kilometers away. Number of households any member belonging to manual scavenger rural. Manual scavenging is illegal but still persists business standard.
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