Dec 18, 2024 12:16 AM IST
The ministry said that a total of 57,758 SSWs were profiled in the country, of which 54,574 were validated across 33 states and Union territories (UTs).
Two-thirds of sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) in urban local bodies across India, surveyed by the Union government, come from Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, the Centre informed Parliament on Tuesday.
The number of workers collectively belonging to the SC, Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups stands at 92%, the ministry of social justice and empowerment said in its written reply in the Lok Sabha.
The ministry said that a total of 57,758 SSWs were profiled in the country, of which 54,574 were validated across 33 states and Union territories (UTs).
Of this, the maximum 37,060 (or 67.91%) are from the SC category, followed by 8,587 (15.73%) OBCs, and 4,536 (8.31%) STs, Union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athawale said, adding that 4,391 (or 8.05%) SSWs are from the general category.
“Sewer and Septic Tank Cleaning work is an occupation based activity rather than caste based,” the minister said.
The minister was replying to a set of questions from Congress lawmaker Kuldeep Indora, who sought to know details of SSWs as well as the current status of the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme — launched in 2023-24 jointly by the social justice ministry and the ministry of housing and urban affairs.
The ministry informed that efforts were underway to integrate SSW data from Odisha and Tamil Nadu into the central database of NAMASTE, which aims at ensuring the “safety, dignity, and social and economic empowerment” of sanitation workers.
Providing details about the current status of the NAMASTE scheme, the ministry said: “Total of 16,791 PPE (personal protective equipment) kits and 43 Safety Devices Kit for Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) have been supplied. Ayushman cards have been issued to 13,604 beneficiaries.”
“Capital Subsidy of ₹13.96 crore released to 503 sanitation workers and their families for sanitation-related projects,” it said. Additionally, ₹2.85 crore has been provided to “226 beneficiaries” from the “manual scavenger” category to help them take up alternative self-employment projects, the ministry added.
The Centre also informed that since the start of financial year 2023-24, a total of 837 workshops on the prevention of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks have been held for workers across municipalities, nagar palikas, and other such organisations.
The information provided by the Centre comes days after the Supreme Court last week expressed concern over the slow progress in eradicating manual scavenging. To be sure, the Centre doesn’t classify sewer workers as manual scavengers.
Get Current Updates on…
See more
