Lok Sabha Question No. 2604 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-02
Subject: Sewerage Cleaning Workers
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Mahesh Sahoo

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

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2604 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2022

## SEWERAGE CLEANING WORKERS

2604. SHRI MAHESH SAHOO:

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

- (a) whether the Government intends to strict regulation with regard to working conditions of workers involved in sewerage cleaning endangering their lives and if S0, the details thereof; bring
- (b) whether the Government has any data of the number of sewerage cleaners who died while cleaning over the last five years and if so, the details thereof, year and State-wise; and
- the method and amount of compensation given to such victim's kin?

## ANSWER

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

(a): The Government has formulated a scheme 'National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem  (NAMASTE)" . The NAMASTE project, is a joint project of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:

- a. Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India
2. No sanitation workers should come in direct contact with human faecal matter:
- b. All sanitation work to be performed by skilled workers
- d. Sanitation workers are to be collectivized into SHGs and are empowered to run sanitation enterprises
5. f Strengthened supervisory and monitoring systems at national, state and ULB levels to ensure enforcement and monitoring of safe sanitation work.
6. e Sewer   and   Septic tank sanitation workers   (SSWs) have access to alternative livelihoods:
- g. Increased awareness amongst sanitation services seekers (individuals ad institutions) to seek services from registered and skilled sanitation workers.

In addition; for safe and sustainable sanitation; Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued the Faecal Sludge and   Septage Management (FSSM)   Policy, 2017 which   emphasizes implementation of legal prohibition of manual scavenging under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 and have also prescribed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for safe cleaning of sewer and septic tanks in November; 2018.

(6) & (c): In accordance with the Hon 'ble Supreme Court's Judgment dated 27.03.2014 in Civil Writ Petition No. 583 of 2003, compensation of Rs: 10 lakh   each is by the State Governments to the families of those who have died while cleaning sewerslseptic tanks from the year 1993 onwards  National Commission  for  Safai   Karamcharis and Department of Social the last five years are given at Annexure: paid during

Annexure referred in reply to parts (b) and (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2604 for 02.08.2022 regarding Sewerage Cleaning Workers:

Details of death of persons in sewers and septic tanks during the last five years (2017 to 2021)

|    | Name of StatelUt   | 2017         | 2017               | 2018         | 2018               | 2019         | 2019               | 2020         | 2020               | 2021         | 2021               |
|----|--------------------|--------------|--------------------|--------------|--------------------|--------------|--------------------|--------------|--------------------|--------------|--------------------|
|    | Name of StatelUt   | No. of death | compensati on paid | No. of death | compensat ion paid | No. of death | compensat ion paid | No. of death | compensat ion paid | No. of death | compens ation paid |
|    | Andhra Pradesh     |              | 2                  | 9            | 8                  | 2            |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
|    | Bihar              |              |                    | 0            | 0                  | 0            |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 3  | Chhatisgarh        |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 4  | Chandigarh         |              |                    |              |                    | 8            |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 5  | Delhi              |              |                    |              |                    | 10           | 8                  |              |                    |              |                    |
| 6  |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 8  | Haryana            |              |                    |              |                    | 14           |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 9  | Karnataka          |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 10 | Kerala             |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 11 | Maharashtra        |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 18 | Telangana_         |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
|    |                    |              |                    |              |                    | 8            | 8                  |              |                    |              |                    |
|    |                    |              |                    |              |                    | 26           | 23                 |              |                    |              |                    |
| 21 | Uttarakhand        |              |                    |              |                    | 0            |                    |              |                    |              |                    |
| 22 | West Bengal        |              |                    |              |                    | 6            | 2                  |              | 0                  |              |                    |
|    | Total              |              |                    | 67           | H                  | 116          | 92                 | 19           | 14                 | 36           | 36                 |