UPSC MAINS SOCIOLOGY SYLLABUS
Paper 2 – Section C – Visions of Social Change in India
(vii) Challenges of Social Transformation:
(a) Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.
(b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
(c) Violence against women.
(d) Caste conflicts.
(e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
(f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.
INTRODUCTION
Manual scavenging is the removal of excreta (night soil) manually from “dry toilets”, ie, the toilets without modern flush system. The system of building public toilets and employing people to remove excreta was introduced during British rule in India, when municipalities were constituted. That time, often containers were used in such toilets, that needed to be emptied daily. After the invention of flush type toilets, all other types of toilets disappeared from the western world. However, this inhumane practice continues in many developing countries including India.
THE MENACE OF MANUAL SCAVENGING
The sociocultural and economic realities of modern India reveal a series of paradoxes. While legally manual scavenging is banned, caste apartheid and poverty perpetuate this practice. In India, manual scavenging is a caste-based occupation carried out by dalits. The manual scavengers have different caste names in different parts of the country: Bhangis in Gujarat
and Uttar Pradesh, Phakis in Andhra Pradesh and Sikkaliars in Tamil Nadu. These communities are invariably placed at the bottom of the caste hierarchy as well as dalit sub-caste hierarchy. Refusal to perform such manual task leads to physical abuse and a social boycott. Manual scavengers are exposed to the most virulent forms of viral and bacterial infections that affect their skin, eyes, limbs, respiratory and gastro-intestinal systems. Tuberculosis is rife in the community.
IS MANUAL SCAVENGING LEGAL ?
India banned the practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR). The Act bans the use of any individual manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of or otherwise handling in any manner human excreta till its disposal. The Act recognizes manual scavenging as a “dehumanizing practice”.
LAWS AND INITIATIVES TO PROTECT MANUAL SCAVENGERS
In 1993, India banned the employment of people as manual scavengers (The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993), however, the stigma and discrimination associated with it still linger on.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning, introduce ways for ‘on-site’ protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths.
The Building and Maintenance of Insanitary Latrines Act of 2013 outlaws construction or maintenance of unsanitary toilets, and the hiring of anybody for their manual scavenging, as well as of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. It also provides a constitutional responsibility to provide alternative jobs and other assistance to manual scavenging communities, as reparation for historical injustice and indignity.
Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act, 1989 became an integrated guard for sanitation workers, more than 90% people employed as manual scavengers belonged to the Scheduled Caste. This became an important landmark to free manual scavengers from designated traditional occupations.
Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on World Toilet Day (19th November) in 2020. The Government launched this “challenge” for all states to make sewer-cleaning mechanised by April 2021 — if any human needs to enter a sewer line in case of unavoidable emergency, proper gear and oxygen tanks, etc., are to be provided.
National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme is being undertaken jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the MoSJ&E and aims to eradicate unsafe sewer and septic tank cleaning practices.
‘Swachhta Abhiyan App’ has been developed to identify and Geotag the data of insanitary latrines and manual scavengers so that the insanitary latrines can be replaced with sanitary latrines and rehabilitate all the manual scavengers to provide dignity of life to them. Focus has been given on conversion of insanitary latrines into sanitary latrines under Swachh Bharat Mission.
Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) with the objective to rehabilitate remaining manual scavengers and their dependents in alternative occupations, in a time bound manner.
SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
To improve the living and working condition of manual scavengers all over India, there is a need to set an agenda for their overall transformation. It can be through provision of alternative livelihoods, abolishment of dry toilets and imparting free education to children. There are several possible fields in which former manual scavengers can work and earn an alternative livelihood. It is possible to provide jobs in agricultural sector
The life of scavengers can be improved, especially of women and children by providing them good quality education through well-trained, open-minded teachers. Such schools should not only implement mid-day meal scheme, but should also provide the evening food to the children of the socially downgraded people, so that their parents will not face any additional burden of nurturing their children. For the adult members of the scavenger community, education is essential to train them for alternative ways of living, for example, women can have training in
sewing, packing or to work as anganwadi workers. Furthermore, other parts of society have to become more sensitive to the needs of the neglected and oppressed dalit community. This can happen through awareness campaigns or training courses in schools.
