Skip to main content

Sanitary workers 'most unprotected' against coronavirus, Gujarat CM told to act

By Our Representative
Manav Garima, a grassroots voluntary organization, which works for the amelioration of the sanitary workers of Gujarat, has raised the alarm that the coronavirus pandemic may harm those involved in different types of cleaning work on streets, in gutters and canals, collecting garbage from individual households and societies, cleaning public toilets, and disposing of dead animals.
In a letter to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, copy of which has been sent to the state chief secretary, the state home secretary, the state social and justice empowerment secretary, the state urban development secretary , and the director general of police, Parsottam Vaghela, the NGO director, said, while the state government has taken a “number of steps to fight the disease, these do not address the problems of sanitary workers, especially manual scavengers.”
Parsottam Vaghela
Expressing the apprehension that sanitary workers can “quickly become victims of this dangerous epidemic because they are not protected in any way”, the letter demands their regular free medical checkup; free medicines to fight nutritional deficiencies; special checkup of those who suffer from cough, cold and fever; masks, gloves and other equipment for hygienically carrying on cleaning operations, and so on.
Asking Rupani to urgently tell all the municipal commissioners, heads of municipalities and panchayats to take steps to protect sanitary workers, Vaghela said, not just those working with the government, but those employed by the private hospitals, residences, hotels, commercial complexes, etc. should also be covered. “Unorganized, these sections are particularly more vulnerable”, he underlined. Considered a caste-based occupation, most sanitary workers belong to the most oppressed Dalit sub-caste, Valmiki.

'Postpone public hearings'

Meanwhile, senior environmentalist Mahesh Pandya of NGO Paryavaran Mitra, in a letter to the secretary, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), the state agency, has said that all the proposed public hearings for obtaining environmental clearance for developmental projects should be cancelled in view of the restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus epidemic.
Pandya said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced janta curfew for Sunday, hence it is “illogical” to hold public hearings, adding, under such a situation “no proper hearings can be conducted for obtaining environmental consent under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification-2”. Wanting the hearings to be “postponed”, he added, advertisements should be put in the newspapers in order to inform about this to all the stakeholders concerned.

Comments

Riya Singh said…
In this time of crisis, we all need to have the essentials from medical products but we cannot go out every time and buy them. So get all the essentials like corona to face masks, sanitizers, etc at one platform bisiworld.com which is a medical device supplier providing the medical equipment online in India.
Tino Best said…
This endeavor is aimed at rural populations residing in remote areas, who don't have sufficient access to hospital beds. BREAKING NEWS
Airnex said…
Thank you for sharing this useful information, I will regularly follow your blog.Excellent post, thanks for sharing, it’s indeed very helpful for new blogger like me

anti pollution face mask
Anonymous said…
thanks

TRENDING

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Anti-poor stand': Even British wouldn't reduce Railways' sleeper and general coaches

By Anandi Pandey, Sandeep Pandey*  Probably even the British, who introduced railways in India, would not have done what the Bhartiya Janata Party government is doing. The number of Sleeper and General class coaches in various trains are surreptitiously and ominously disappearing accompanied by a simultaneous increase in Air Conditioned coaches. In the characteristic style of BJP government there was no discussion or debate on this move by the Indian Railways either in the Parliament or outside of it. 

Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das  Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer.  Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton.  The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments.  One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.  

Faith leaders agree: All religious places should display ‘anti-child marriage’ messages

By Jitendra Parmar*  As many as 17 faith leaders, together for an interfaith dialogue on child marriage in New Delhi, unanimously have agreed that no faith allows or endorses child marriage. The faith leaders advocated that all religious places should display information on child marriage.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Ayurveda, Sidda, and knowledge: Three-day workshop begins in Pala town

By Rosamma Thomas*  Pala town in Kottayam district of Kerala is about 25 km from the district headquarters. St Thomas College in Pala is currently hosting a three-day workshop on knowledge systems, and gathered together are philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners in homeopathy and Ayurveda, one of them from Nepal, and a few guests from Europe. The discussions on the first day focused on knowledge systems, power structures, and epistemic diversity. French researcher Jacquiline Descarpentries, who represents a unique cooperative of researchers, some of whom have no formal institutional affiliation, laid the ground, addressing the audience over the Internet.

Article 21 'overturned' by new criminal laws: Lawyers, activists remember Stan Swamy

By Gova Rathod*  The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, organised an event in Ahmedabad entitled “Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy in Today’s Challenging Reality” in the memory of Fr. Stan Swamy on his third death anniversary.  The event included a discussion of the new criminal laws enforced since July 1, 2024.

Hindutva economics? 12% decline in manufacturing enterprises, 22.5% fall in employment

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The messiah of Hindutva politics, Narendra Modi, assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. He pledged to transform the Indian economy and deliver a developed nation with prosperous citizens. However, despite Modi's continued tenure as the Prime Minister, his ambitious electoral promises seem increasingly elusive. 

Union budget 'outrageously scraps' scheme meant for rehabilitating manual scavengers

By Bezwada Wilson*  The Union Budget for the year 2024-2025, placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament has completely deceived the Safai Karmachari community. There is no mention of persons engaged in manual scavenging in the entire Budget. Even the scheme meant for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been outrageously scrapped.