NHRC’s Recommendations Regarding Manual Scavenging
Appropriate action is taken on the recommendations of NHRC regarding manual scavenging and the related matters.
As per the two surveys conducted by the local authorities in the year 2013 and 2018, 58,098 persons were working as manual scavengers. Statewise details are at Annexure-I.
There is no report of death due to manual scavenging. However, we have reports regarding deaths of workers while being engaged in cleaning of sewers or septic tanks. Statewise details of deaths reported by State Governments are at Annexure-II.
The Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers which is being implemented under the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, has been evaluated in the year 2017-18 and year 2019-20. Based on the recommendations, the Scheme has been revised suitably from the year 2021-22.
Rehabilitation benefits under the PEMSR Act 2013 are:-
The maximum amount of capital subsidy for self employment projects has been enhanced from Rs. 3.25 lakh to Rs. 5.00 lakh.
- Sanitation workers and their dependants have also been made eligible for availing assistance for sanitation related projects to contribute to mechanization of sanitation work, including cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. They will be eligible for capital subsidy and interest subsidy for the
- With a view to enable procurement of higher value sanitation related vehicles/machines, the maximum project cost for the group has been fixed at
50.00 lakh.
- Ministry has started giving health insurance cover upto Rs. 5.00 lakh to all identified manual scavengers and their family members under Ayiishman Bharat
The following are the achievements under SRMS:-
All the identified and eligible 58,098 manual scavengers have been paid one time cash assistance of Rs. 40,000/- directly into their bank accounts.
- 16057 manual scavengers and their dependants have been provided skill development training in various
- 1387 manual scavengers, sanitation workers and their dependants have been provided capital subsidy for self employment projects, including sanitation related
Annexure-I
Number of Manual Scavengers Identified
| S.No. State
Andhra Pradesh |
No. of manual scavengers identified
1793 | |
| 2 | Assam | 3921 |
| 3 | Bihar | 131 |
| 4 | Chhattisgarh | 3 |
| 5 | Gujarat | 105 |
| 6 | Jharkhand | 192 |
| 7 | Karnataka | 2927 |
| 8 | Kerala | 518 |
| 9 | Madhya Pradesh | 510 |
| 10 | Maharashtra | 6325 |
| 11 | Odisha | 230 |
| 12 | Punjab | 231 2673 |
| 13 | Rajasthan | |
| 14 | Tamilnadu | 398 |
| 15 | Uttar Pradesh | 32473 |
| 16 | Uttarakhand | 4988 |
| 17 | West Bengal | 680 |
| Total | 58098 | |
Annexure-II
States/UTs wise details of sewer/septic tank related deaths
|
S. No |
Name of State/UT |
Total Number of sewer death |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 23 |
| 2 | Bihar | 2 |
| 3 | Chhatisgarh | |
| 4 | Chandigarh | 3 |
| 5 | Delhi | 98 |
| 6 | Goa | 6 |
| 7 | Gujarat | 153 |
| 8 | Haryana | 73 |
| 9 | Kamataka | 84 |
| 10 | Kerala | 13 |
| 11 | Maharashtra | 36 |
| 12 | Madhya Pradesh | 10 |
| 13 | Punjab | 41 |
| 14 | Puducherry | 9 |
| 15 | Rajasthan | 41 |
| 16 | Tamil Nadu | 213 |
| 17 | Telangana | 7 |
| 18 | Tripura | 2 |
| 19 | Uttrakhand | 3 |
| 20 | Uttar Pradesh | 104 |
| 21 | West Bengal | 19 |
| Total | 941 |
This information was given by The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar in the Rajya Sabha in a written reply today.
