New Delhi, September 29, 2014: The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis convened a meeting here today to review and monitor the implementation of “The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013” in the various States/UTs.
Chairman, NCSK said that the issue of achieving complete sanitation in the country is very high on the agenda of the Government. The Prime Minister has also underlined the importance of sanitation in his speech on the Independence Day. Swachh Bharat campaign is to be launched from 2nd October on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with a target of achieving complete sanitation in the country by 2019. Therefore, the need to ensure implementation of the Manuals Scavengers Act, 2013 in its letter and spirit needs to be emphasized more.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman expressed his unhappiness and said that the Commission was extremely concerned about the tardy progress in the implementation of the Act.
Citing his visits to various States, the Chairman said that the progress of the implementation of the Act is extremely poor. The surveys reportedly conducted by the States to identify the manual scavengers and the insanitary latrines are not done in a proper manner and the questions are being raised about their credibility and accuracy of the figures.
Unless and until, the States play a pro-active role in implementing the Act, its objectives cannot be achieved. Therefore, the State Governments were urged to ensure that the states take a time bound action to eliminate both insanitary latrines and manual scavenging. At the same time, the States were requested to take effective action for the rehabilitation of the identified manual scavengers. The Chairman again reiterated that the time bound action prescribed in the Act need to be completed in letter and spirit and also requested the participants to furnish the requisite details & information urgently to the Commission.
The Chairman NCSIC informed that as per the Houselisting and Housing Census, 2011 by the Registrar General of India, there are still some 26 lakh insanitary latrines in the country.
a. Latrines from which night soil is disposed into open drain: 13 lakh
b. Service latrines in which night soil is;-
(i) Removed by humans - 8 lakhs
(ii) Services by animals - 5 lakhs
However, the number of persons still engaged in manual scavenging is not available.
The ongoing Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC), 2011 in rural India is, inter-alia, capturing the data about the manual scavengers in rural areas, including the non-statutory town.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 which came into force on 6th December, 2013, is an important tool for achieving the government’s objective of complete sanitation. The Act addresses the twin problems of insanitary latrines and manual scavengers in a very comprehensive manner. It provides for elaborate mechanisms at the local, state and central level to ensure that the insanitary latrines which are the root cause of manual scavenging are eliminated and the manual scavengers are rehabilitated in alternative occupations on a sustainable basis.
As per section 31(1) of the Act, the Commission has been mandated to monitor the implementation of the Act. It states that the Commission shall perform the following functions:
(a) To monitor the implementation of the Act;
(b) To enquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of the Act, and to convey its findings to the concerned authorities with recommendations requiring further action; and
(c) To advise the Central and the State Governments for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act.
(d) To take suo motu notice of matter relating to non-implementation of the Act.
In the discharge of its above mentioned functions, the Commission have been given the powers to call for information with respect to any matter specified above from any Government or local or other authority.
Members of the Commission Dr. Lata Omprakash Mahto, Vijay Kumar and Gopal Krishan Sahotra and T.R.Meena, Jt. Secretary also addressed the meeting.
The meeting chaired by M.Shivanna, Chairman, NCSK was attended by the representatives of the States of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Goa and Odisha and Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Island, Puducherry and Lakshdweep. Representatives of NSKFDC and Karnataka State Safai Karamchari Commission.
The representatives of the States/UTs gave detailed presentations on the progress made by them for implementing the Act.
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