NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will revive its programme for raising awareness among sanitation workers across the country from August after a gap amid the COVID-19 outbreak. This comes amid sewer deaths in the country amid the pandemic.
The programme, which is run by the National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment along with municipalities, will also involve gram panchayats when the programme resumes.
"In some locations, we will involve gram panchayats. This is a one-day interaction where civic authorities representatives, contractors, sub-contractors, sanitation workers and the general public. There is also a focus on need for mechanisation, on the provisions of the Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act and a documentary on sewer workers and ow the deaths happen," said an official, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
According to data submitted in the Parliament, there were 110 sewer deaths during 2019. Activists have pointed out that sanitation workers have been pushed further to the fringes amid the pandemic as they continue to work without personal protective equipments in several cases.
The proposal for amending the Manual Scavenging Act is awaiting the final approval.
"It is likely to get a push in the Monsoon session of the Parliament. It is ready in all respects," said another senior official of the ministry.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has proposed the prison term to be extended up to seven years.
In its national action plan for mechanised sanitation system, the ministry has also now sought compulsory licensing of private cleaning agencies to clamp down on sewer deaths.
The local bodies would be responsible to prepare a database of sanitation workers trained in the maintenance of sewers and septic tanks and the data of casualties in the sewers and septic tanks.
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