Delhi govt, DICCI to sign MoU to mechanise cleaning of sewers

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dalit India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) to receive assistance for mechanising sewage cleaning in the city.

DICCI will coordinate with banks to fund the labourers to buy equipment and to arrange loans at minimum interest.

"DICCI has promised to provide full-fledged help in this case. The process is on and it will take two to three months," said Social Welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam.

He added that the target of the initiative is to provide a dignified life to manual scanvengers.

Gautam added that entrepreneurship is an alternative source to provide jobs to SC/ST community. "Now, DICCI has joined hands with the Delhi government to provide a solution towards socio-economic empowerment of the outcasts," he asserted.

The Social Welfare Department said that DICCI is working for restoration of human dignity through mechanisation of sewage cleaning.

The Department also plans to launch a mobile-app based system to clean Delhi's sewers.

Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had approved the idea to mechanise cleaning of sewers.

DICCI has also worked to make Hyderabad manual scavenging free.

Gautam said that DICCI will provide also banking help to the labourers.

Apart from opening bank accounts, it will also provide finance to buy machines to clean sewers, so that the labourers can use the machines themselves instead of going into manholes.

"I am committed to making manual scavengers future entrepreneurs of Delhi. We have to promote entrepreneurship and skill development in the SC/ST community," Gautam said.

Earlier, Gautam and DICCI chairman Milind Kamble had presented a plan to the Chief Minister over the mechanisation of sewer cleaning, which Kejriwal had welcomed with open arms.