Manual Scavenging

Manual scavenging refers to the unsafe and manual removal of human excrement from public streets and dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers”.
Manual scavenging is the “most inhuman” and violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21.
The Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 identified 1,82,505 households with the primary occupation of manual scavenging. Several organisations suggest that more than 75 % of manual scavengers are women.
Every local authority (municipality or panchayat), cantonment board or railway authority is responsible for surveying its area to identify manual scavengers.
Government initiatives to control the issue
- NAMASTE Scheme
  - Launched in 2022.
  - Funding – Central Sector Scheme
  - Ministry – Jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE).
  - Aim – To eradicate unsafe sewer and septic tank cleaning practices.
  - Scheme is to be Implemented in all ULBs
- e National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK):
  - It is a non-statutory body. It was constituted in 1994 as a statutory body for a three-year period under the NCSK ACT, 1993 and continued till February 2004, when the relevant Act expired.
  - It investigates the conditions of Safai Karamcharis in India and makes recommendations to the Government of India regarding their condition

Recent Survey Findings

Profiling of Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs)
- As of the latest data, 38,000 workers have been profiled across 3,000+ urban local bodies (ULBs) from 29 states and union territories.
- Of these workers, 91.9% belong to marginalised communities, with:
  - 68.9% from Scheduled Castes (SC)
  - 14.7% from Other Backward Classes (OBC)
  - 8.3% from Scheduled Tribes (ST)
  - 8% from the General category.
Deaths in Hazardous Cleaning Work
- Between 2019 and 2023, 377 deaths were reported due to hazardous sewer and septic tank cleaning across India.
Scope and Progress
- As of the 2023-24 financial year, 3,326 ULBs have begun profiling, identifying around 38,000 SSWs so far.
- Some 283 ULBs reported zero SSWs, while 2,364 ULBs reported fewer than 10 such workers each.
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs estimates that there are approximately 1 lakh sanitation workers across India based on urban population growth rates.
State-Level Efforts
- States like Kerala, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir have completed profiling.
- Tamil Nadu and Odisha are running their own sanitation worker programs and are not reporting data to the Centre under NAMASTE.
- Other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat are still in the process of profiling.
- Some states have yet to start the process, including Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, and West Bengal.
Sanitation Worker Support & Financial Aid
- By 2023-24, 31,999 SSWs had been validated in the central database.
- Capital subsidies of ₹2.26 crore were disbursed to 191 beneficiaries and their dependents for alternative self-employment.
- An additional ₹10.6 crore in subsidies was provided to 413 sanitation workers and their dependents for sanitation-related entrepreneurial projects.
Historical Data on Manual Scavenging
- Under the previous SRMS scheme, 58,098 manual scavengers were identified until 2018. Since then, the government claims there have been no further identified cases of manual scavenging.
- Of these identified workers, 43,797 belonged to the SC community, comprising 97.2% of the total.
Rehabilitation of Identified Manual Scavengers
- Those identified under the SRMS scheme received a one-time cash transfer of ₹40,000.
- 18,880 individuals received skills training for alternative occupations, while 2,051 took advantage of loans under the scheme to start small businesses or move into alternative employment.

Challenges

Despite government efforts, hazardous cleaning remains a dangerous occupation.
There are still reports of unsafe manual labor in sewers and septic tanks, leading to ongoing deaths.
Profiling efforts and mechanization are still in progress, with a long way to go to cover all ULBs and ensure all workers are safely employed.