Implementing anti-manual scavenging law: Safai Karamchari panel&#39;s 20-yr lag

Implementing anti-manual scavenging law: Safai Karamchari panel's 20-yr lag

By Jitendra Rathod*
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 came into effect across India on 6th December, 2013. Meanwhile, honorable Supreme Court of India gave landmark judgment to identify and award compensation of Rs 10 lakh to dependents in deaths of sewerage workers who died while cleaning sewerage and septic tanks since 1993 and strictly implement the provisions of the Act of 2013 on 27th March, 2014.
But, central and state governments have not acted/implemented the provisions of the Act of 2013 and the landmark judgment of Supreme Court. Manual scavenging is being practiced and is increasing in cities due to lack of proper sanitation facilities. Besides, state governments are not serious to identify such deaths of manhole workers and award compensation as per the ruling of Supreme Court of India.
The Act of 2013 has section no 31 regarding the functions of National Commission for Safai Karmacharis. The Act says that,
“31. (1) The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis shall perform the following functions, namely: — (a) to monitor the implementation of this Act;
(b) to enquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of this 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 this Act.
(d) to take suo motu notice of matter relating to non-implementation of this Act.
(2) In the discharge of its functions under sub-section (1), the National Commission shall have the power to call for information with respect to any matter specified in that subsection from any Government or local or other authority.”
There are more than 200 spots in Ahmedabad city where sweepers are forced by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to clean/handle/remove manually human excreta every day. We have details of 152 cases where manhole workers died while cleaning drainage in Gujarat since 1993. We approached the state government to award compensation of Rs 10 lakhs in 152 incidents as per the judgment of Supreme Court. So far no action has been taken by the state government in last 2 years in implementing the provisions of the Act of 2013 and awarding compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the dependents of deceased 152 manhole workers.
I have filed a complaint on non-implementation of the Act of 2013 and its provisions to the National Commission for Safai Karmacharis on September 10, 2016. I visited the website of the commission. It was very disturbing to refer the website. The contents of the website are outdated (20 years):
Some highlights of the website are as follow:

It quotes 1991 census for Scheduled Castes (SCs) population.
It quotes the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Prohibition Act, 1993
It quotes Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme (ILCS) and (ii) National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers (NSLRS).
It quotes that “It is hoped that the obnoxious and inhuman practice of manual scavenging will be eradicated by 31 December 2007.”

In grievances there is nothing about manual scavenging in its website.
There is nothing about the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the judgment of the Supreme Court to identify and award compensation of Rs 10 lakh, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules 2013, the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers(SRMS), as revised in November 2013, the system for redressing grievances, roles and responsibility of the Commission to ensure effective implementation of the Act of 2013 etc.
It is very disturbing and pathetic that the Commission, which is mandated to ensure effective implementation of the Act, is in non-performance. We hope that the Chairperson of Commission and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment take the issue of manual scavenging seriously and set up a system to ensure that the provisions of the MS Act are effectively implemented and the inhumane practice of manual scavenging is prohibited from India.
—
*Senior activist, Janvikas, Ahmedabad

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Reshaping welfare policy? G-RAM-G marks the end of rights-based rural employment

By Ram Puniyani With the Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra, the BJP’s political strength began to grow. From then on, it started projecting itself as a “party with a difference.” Gradually, the party’s electoral success graph kept rising. However, many thinkers and writers did not find this particularly worrying at the time, as they saw little difference between the BJP and the ruling Congress. The BJP’s real face began to emerge when it became the principal party of the NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It first came to power for two brief tenures—13 days and then 13 months—and subsequently governed for nearly six years with Vajpayee as Prime Minister. During this period, many of these writers began to understand that the BJP was indeed a “different kind” of party, as even then the process of undermining democratic values and norms had begun. During the first term of the UPA government, several schemes were implemented that were based on the concept of “rights.” These included the right...

Search This Blog