Lok Sabha Question No. 1391 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-26
Subject: Manual Scavenging
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: K. Muraleedharan, M.K. Vishnu Prasad, Feroze Varun Gandhi

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

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1391 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2022

## MANUAL SCAVENGING

1391. SHRI K MURALEEDHARAN: DR VISHNU PRASAD MK: SHRI FEROZE VARUN GANDHI:

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

- (a) the definition of a manual scavenger; the number of manual scavengers and those who have been identified for rehabilitation during the last three years in the country, State-wise;,
- (6) the details of deaths reported, if any, in the country during the last three years and current year due to manual scavenging despite legal ban of all forms of manual scavenging under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act; 2013, State-wise and the total amount spent for rehabilitation of manual scavengers after the enactment of this act;
- (c) whether the Government has disbursed any compensation to those who died doing sewerage cleaning work   since 1993 as per the 2014 Hon ble   Supreme 1 compensation of Rs.10 lakh each for the families of manual scavenger and if $O, the details thereof;
- (d) the amount out of Rs 100 crore dedicated for rehabilitation that have been spent for the current year; and
- (e) whether there has been any case registered against the employers of Manual Scavengers in India and if the details thereof, State-wise? SO,

## ANSWER

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

- (a): As per Section 2 (1) (g) of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, (MS Act 2013), the definition of manual scavenger is as follows:-
- ~Manual Scavenger" means a person engaged or employed by an individual or a local authority a Or private  agency, for manually  cleaning   carrying,  disposing of, or   Otherwise handling in any manner; human excreta in an insanitary latrine Or in an open drain O pit into which the human excreta from insanitary latrines is disposed of, Or on a railway track Or in such other spaces or premises, as the Central Government or a State Government may notify, before the excreta fully decomposes in such manner as may be prescribed, and the expression   "manual scavenging" shall be construed accordingly." public

Two surveys   have been conducted in the year   2013 and 2018 to   identify the manual scavengers   During these surveys 58,098 eligible manual scavengers were identified. State-wise details are given at Annexure-I:

(6): No death has been reported due to engaging in Manual  Scavenging (which is of human excreta from   insanitary latrines as defined in of the MS Act; 2013). However, 188 persons have died due to accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks the last three years and current year: Year-wise and state-wise details are given at Annexure-II: lifting during

An amount of Rs. 266.16 crore has the Ministry of  Social Justice and Empowerment  under the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual  Scavengers Since 2013-14.

(c): In accordance with the Hon ble Supreme Court'$ 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 ensured such compensation payments. State wise details are given at Annexure-III: paid

(d): During the current financial under   the   Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS); there is an allocation of Rs: 70.00 crore However; SO far no fund has been   released  during 2022-23 to the National   Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC)

(e): The cases  filed in this regard are at different stages and have not come to the logical conclusion.

Annexure-| referred in reply to part (a) the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1391 for 26.07.2022  regarding Manual Scavenging:

## State-wise Number of Manual Scavengers Identified

| SNo.   | State          |   No. of manual scavengers identified |
|--------|----------------|---------------------------------------|
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh |                                  1793 |
| 2.     | Assam          |                                  3921 |
| 3.     | Bihar          |                                   131 |
| 4.     | Chhattisgarh   |                                     3 |
| 5.     | Gujarat        |                                   105 |
| 6.     | Jharkhand      |                                   192 |
| 7 .    | Karnataka      |                                  2927 |
| 8.     | Kerala         |                                   518 |
| 9.     | Madhya Pradesh |                                   510 |
| 10_    | Maharashtra    |                                  6325 |
| 11.    | Odisha         |                                   230 |
| 12.    | Punjab         |                                   231 |
| 13     | Rajasthan      |                                  2673 |
| 14     | Tamilnadu      |                                   398 |
| 15.    | Uttar Pradesh  |                                 32473 |
| 16.    | Uttarakhand    |                                  4988 |
| 17 .   | West Bengal    |                                   680 |
|        | Total          |                                 58098 |

## Annexure-Il referred in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1391 for 26.07.2022 regarding Manual Scavenging:

Year-wise and State-wise details of death of persons during last three years and current year due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks

| No:   | Name of StatelUT   | 2019               | 2020               | 2021               | 2022               |
|-------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| No:   | Name of StatelUT   | Total No. of death | Total No: of death | Total No. of death | Total No. of death |
| 1_    | Andhra Pradesh     | 2                  | 0                  | 0                  |                    |
| 2     | Bihar              | 0                  |                    |                    |                    |
| 3.    | Chhatisgarh        | 0                  |                    |                    |                    |
| 4     | Chandigarh         | 0                  |                    |                    | 0                  |
| 5     | Delhi              | 10                 |                    |                    | 2                  |
| 6.    | Gujarat            | 14                 |                    |                    | 0                  |
| 7     | Haryana            | 14                 |                    | 5                  | 2                  |
| 8     | Karnataka          |                    |                    |                    |                    |
| 9     | Kerala             |                    |                    |                    | 0                  |
| 10    |                    | 15                 |                    |                    | 4                  |
| 12.   | Odisha             |                    |                    |                    | 0                  |
| 13.   | Punjab             | 3                  |                    |                    | 0                  |
| 14.   | Rajasthan          | 5                  |                    |                    |                    |
| 15.   | Tamil Nadu         | 13                 |                    |                    |                    |
| 16.   | Telangana          |                    |                    |                    | 0                  |
| 17.   | Uttar Pradesh      | 26                 |                    |                    | 4                  |
| 18    | West Bengal        | 6                  | 0                  | 4                  | 0                  |
|       | Total              | 116                | 19                 | 36                 | 17                 |

## Annexure-III referred in reply to part (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1391 26.07.2022 regarding Manual Scavenging: for

## Details of death of persons in sewers and septic tanks during the years 1993 to till date (As on 30.06.2022)

| S No   | Name of StatelUt   | Total Number of sewer death   | Status of payment of compensation in terms of Supreme Court Judgment dated 27.03.2014   | Status of payment of compensation in terms of Supreme Court Judgment dated 27.03.2014   |
|--------|--------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S No   | Name of StatelUt   | Total Number of sewer death   | 10 Lac                                                                                  | Less than 10 Lac                                                                        |
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh     | 23                            | 13                                                                                      | 4                                                                                       |
| 2      | Bihar              | 2                             | 2                                                                                       |                                                                                         |
| 3      | Chhatisgarh        |                               | 1                                                                                       | 0                                                                                       |
| 4      | Chandigarh         | 3                             | 3                                                                                       |                                                                                         |
| 5      | Delhi              | 99                            | 72                                                                                      | 15                                                                                      |
| 6      | Goa                | 6                             | 0                                                                                       | 6                                                                                       |
| 7      | Gujarat            | 136                           | 83                                                                                      | 23                                                                                      |
| 8      | Haryana            | 81                            | 63                                                                                      | 12                                                                                      |
| 9      | Karnataka          | 84                            | 84                                                                                      | 0                                                                                       |
| 10     | Kerala             | 13                            | 13                                                                                      | 0                                                                                       |
| 11     | Maharashtra        | 41                            | 16                                                                                      | 6                                                                                       |
| 12     | Madhya Pradesh     | 16                            | 16                                                                                      | 0                                                                                       |
| 13     | Odisha             | 2                             |                                                                                         | 0                                                                                       |
| 14     | Puducherry         | 9                             | 8                                                                                       | 0                                                                                       |
| 15     | Punjab             | 40                            | 34                                                                                      | 4                                                                                       |
| 16     | Rajasthan          | 38                            |                                                                                         | 5                                                                                       |
| 17     | Tamil Nadu         | 218                           | 207                                                                                     | 1                                                                                       |
| 18     | Telangana          | 18                            | 15                                                                                      | 2                                                                                       |
| 19     | Tripura            | 2                             | 0                                                                                       | 2                                                                                       |
| 20     | Uttrakhand         | 4                             | 2                                                                                       | 2                                                                                       |
| 21     | Uttar Pradesh      | 105                           | 60                                                                                      | 30                                                                                      |
| 22     | West Bengal        | 25                            | 20                                                                                      |                                                                                         |
|        | Total              | 966                           | 742                                                                                     | 113                                                                                     |

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