Manual scavenging still practiced
Chandan Singh
Bangalore, April 15: Even after the ban on the practice of manual scavengers, the Karnataka government has rehabilitated 287 manual scavengers in the state since 2006 till January this year.
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| Pic: Chandan Singh |
The practice of manual scavengers was banned according to the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Act 1993. The Central Government had extended the implementation of this rehabilitation scheme till March 2009. However, it was further extended to March this year.
The National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development Corporation was started in 1997 to provide loans to manual scavengers to help them start their own small businesses.
They are rehabilitated through various means by running small medical shops, garment shops and plumbing work. They do not get a loan exceeding six per cent of the total loan amount per annum.
“All the manual scavengers are rehabilitated but it is not foolproof because the identification process depends on the district commissioners,” said K S Mruthyunjaya, managing director of Dr B R Ambedkar Development Corporation under the Social and Welfare Department of Karnataka.
The Central Government has revised the time frame to cover all the beneficiaries of the self-employment scheme for rehabilitation of manual scavengers. This scheme started in 2006.
The center had released Rs 231 crores to cover the beneficiaries throughout the country.
The data provided by U Chandrakant, officer superintendent of Dr B R Ambedkar Development Corporation stated that the number of manual scavengers rehabilitated in Bangalore urban and rural were 13 and 31 respectively.
The rehabilitated manual scavengers in other districts of the state like Kolar, Gulbarga, Bidar and Ramanagar are 105, 84, 44 and 10 respectively.
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