States not taking enough steps to end manual scavenging: Gehlot

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment also asked states and Union Territories to verify the socio-economic and caste census (SECC), 2011, to identify manual scavengers for their rehabilitation. “Government had enacted Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 to eliminate the evils of insanitary latrines and manual scavenging.

“But the practice of manual scavenging still persists in various parts of the country and states are not taking enough interest to eradicate this inhuman practice. Also, we still don’t have exact data on how many people are involved in this profession. States need to take up this issue in a much more serious manner,” Gehlot said in a meeting of the State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs).

Gehlot on Wednesday reviewed the performances of SCAs of its Apex Corporations i.e. National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), National Safai Karamcharies Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) and National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation.