Lok Sabha Question No. 2502 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-09
Subject: Health and Safety of Safai Karamcharis
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Ritesh Pandey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2502 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.07.2019

## HEALTH AND SAFETY OF SAFAI KARAMCHARIS

## 2502. SHRI RITESH PANDEY:

## Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government maintains data on the number of safai karamcharis who have died due to health and safety hazards related to cleaning sewers;
- (6) if the details thereof; SO,
- (c) ifnot; the reasons therefor and the steps being taken to conduct a study in this regard;
- (d) the measures in place to protect the health and safety of safai karamcharis cleaning sewers;
- (e) the details ofthe States that implement safety procedures for safai karamcharis; and
- the directives issued by the Union Government to the States that do not implement safety procedures for safai karamcharis?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE)

(a) to (c): Supreme Court of India in its judgment dated 27.03.2014 in CWP No. 583 of 2003 Safai Karamchari Andolan Vs Union of  India and Others   directed the States and Union Territories to identify all the cases of sewerage related deaths that have occurred since 1993 and pay compensation of Rs. 10 Iakh each to the families of the persons who have died while cleaning sewer/septic tank. Details of cases reported by the States are given in the Annexure:

- (d): of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual   Scavengers  and their Rehabilitation Act; 2013 (MS Act; 2013) Government have made Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, 2013 (MS Rules, 2013) which were notified in the Gazette of India dated 12.12.2013. Under these Rules it is obligatory for the employer to provide the safety gear, devices and equipment and ensure safety precautions aS prescribed under the above rules:

National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) in collaboration with Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) is imparting 35 hours Recognition Prior Learning (RPL) for sanitation other Government  Agencies. 6,792  sanitation workers have been  provided the above mentioned training from October; 2018 to 30.06.2019. Safety kits consisting of gloves, mask and jacket are distributed to the sanitation workers in these training camps. 02nd

NSKFDC organizes   workshops in  municipalities for  engineers,  sanitary inspectors,  sanitary workers and contractors on safe cleaning of sewers and tanks and also create awareness about the provisions of MS Act, 2013 ad MS Rules, 2013 regarding employer'$ obligations to provide safety gearlequipment and ensure safety precautions. 345 such workshops have been organized from October; 2018 to 26.06.2019. septic 02nd

NSKFDC also organizes Health Camps   for manual  scavengers,  safai karamcharis   and their families in their basties in which medical  check-up  including   specialist  service and  free medicines are provided. 64 such camps were organized during 2017-18 and 2018-19.

MS Rules, 2013 to ensure safety to the person engaged for cleaning of sewers and septic

Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 2502 for answer on 09.07.2019 regarding Health and Safety of Safai Karamcharis.

Details of cases of death of persons in  sewerslseptic  tanks  reported by States upto 30.06.2019

| No.   | State          | Number of cases identified/   | Compensation   | Compensation paid                    | Compensation paid    |
|-------|----------------|-------------------------------|----------------|--------------------------------------|----------------------|
|       |                | reported                      | pending        | Full Compensation of Rs.I0 Jakh each | Partial compensation |
|       | Andhra Pradesh | 8                             | 0              | 8                                    | 0                    |
| 2     | Chhattisgarh   | 4                             | 2              |                                      | 2                    |
| 3     | Chandigarh-    |                               |                | 4                                    |                      |
| 4     | Delhi          | 28                            |                | 25                                   |                      |
| 5     | Gujarat        | 131                           | 53             | 69                                   | 9                    |
|       | Haryana        | 51                            |                | 44                                   |                      |
| 7     | Karnataka      | 75                            | 1              | 68                                   |                      |
| 8     | Kerala         | 12                            | 10             | 0                                    |                      |
| 9     | Punjab         | 30                            | 0              | 30                                   | 0                    |
| 10    | Rajasthan      | 33                            | 5              | 15                                   | 13                   |
| 11    | Tamil Nadu     | 144                           | 3              | 141                                  | 0                    |
| 12    | Telangana      | 2                             |                | 2                                    | 0                    |
| 13    | Uttar Pradesh  | 71                            | 2              | 25                                   | 24                   |
| 14    | Uttarakhand    | 9                             | 6              | 1                                    | 2                    |
| 15    | West Bengal    | 18                            | 5              | 13                                   | 0                    |
|       | Total          | 620                           | 117            | 445                                  | 58                   |