{"id":7370,"date":"2022-08-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/13-08-2022\/namaste-project\/"},"modified":"2022-08-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T00:00:00","slug":"namaste-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/13-08-2022\/namaste-project","title":{"rendered":"\u2018NAMASTE\u2019 Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Recently, the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> is preparing to undertake a <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>nationwide survey<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> to enumerate all people engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, an activity that has led to at least <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>351 deaths since 2017<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"border-collapse:collapse; border:none; width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #000000; border-left:1px solid #000000; border-right:1px solid #000000; border-top:1px solid #000000; vertical-align:top; width:624px\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Manual Scavenging &#038; Sanitation workers\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Manual scavenging:<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> It is one of the most <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>undignified and inhuman forms of sanitation work<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, wherein in absence of adequate sanitation systems and mechanization and protective gear, workers who clean insanitary dry latrines, empty septic tanks, clean railway tracks, etc., come in direct contact with human faeces, without any protective gear or required support measures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Sanitation workers: <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">They are those who do various tasks such as cleaning toilets and spaces; cleaning and emptying, septic tanks and sewers; collecting, segregating and disposing of different types of waste; operating sewage treatment plants, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>About the recent plan of nationwide survey\/ NAMASTE Project<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Enumeration exercise, soon<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> to be conducted across <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>500 AMRUT cities<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, is part of the Union government\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It will streamline the process of rehabilitating sanitation workers and eventually merge with and replace the Self-Employment Scheme for the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS)<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, which was started in 2007.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>The NAMASTE scheme<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> is being undertaken jointly by the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">and the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>MoSJ&#038;E<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> and aims to <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>eradicate unsafe sewer and septic tank cleaning practices<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Benefits under the scheme will include<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> capital subsidies of up to 5 lakh on sanitation machinery costing up to 15 lakh and interest subsidies on loans, where interest rates will be capped between 4-6% for the beneficiaries, with the government taking care of the rest of the interest.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>The scheme also provides for training the workers<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> in the use of these machines, during which time a stipend of up to 3,000 per month will be provided.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>The scheme will also provide for sanitation workers to train for and go into any of the approved list of alternative occupations<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> in sectors like agriculture, services, electronics assembling, and handicrafts and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Concerns\u00a0associated with manual scavenging\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Scavenging is mostly carried out by a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>subgroup of the Dalits,<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0an outcast community also known as \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>untouchables<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u201d within India\u2019s ancient system of caste hierarchies.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u201cUntouchables\u201d are often impoverished<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, shunned by society and forbidden from touching Indians of other castes, or even their food.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Scavenging continues in parts of India largely due to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>governmental indifference and social prejudice.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">There is a complete<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u00a0absence of planning<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0for the maintenance of sewerage, septic tanks, and waste disposal systems in the urban policies made for the city by the state and private companies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>number of people killed<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0while cleaning sewers and septic tanks\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>has increased\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">over the last few years.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Government Measures to Tackle Manual Scavenging<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Legislative:<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It set imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of Rs 2,000 for pushing a person to manual scavenging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) 2017<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It is a successor scheme to the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers and their Dependents <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">with the objective to rehabilitate remaining manual scavengers and their dependents in alternative occupations, in a time-bound manner.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The Act put an\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>end to the practice\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">of any form of manual cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling of human waste.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The act says the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>National Commission for Safai Karamcharis<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0(NCSK)<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">would monitor implementation of the Act and enquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of the Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Amendment Bill, 2020<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The Bill proposes to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>completely mechanise\u00a0sewer cleaning<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">, introduce ways for \u2018on-site\u2019 protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It will also <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>ban employing people as manual scavengers without protective gear<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">National Commission for Safai Karamcharis<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It was constituted in <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>1994 as a\u00a0statutory body<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0by an Act of Parliament viz.\u00a0National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993, for a period of three years i.e. up to 31st\u00a0March 1997.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Scheme for the Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">SRMS provides for save for one component a one-time cash transfer of 40,000.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Swachhta mobile app<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Several attempts have been made to identify more manual scavengers, including through the Swachhta mobile app.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">National Human Rights Commission\u00a0(NHRC) has made a series of\u00a0recommendations to the Centre\u00a0to eradicate manual scavenging and these are<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The Centre should provide\u00a0Rs. 10 lakh loan to manual scavengers\u2019 family\u00a0members so that they can start some business activity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The\u00a0National Crime Records Bureau\u00a0(NCRB) should\u00a0monitor\u00a0the sewer deaths in its reports.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The NHRC recommended\u00a0expanding the definition of manual scavenging\u00a0in order to cover other hazardous cleaning or enacting a new law for hazardous cleaning.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Supreme Court Directions:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The Supreme Court issued directions in\u00a02014 to prevent and control\u00a0the practice and also to prosecute the offenders.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">It also directed the government to pay a\u00a0compensation of Rs. 10 lakh rupees\u00a0to the family members of those\u00a0killed\u00a0in acts of manual scavenging since 1993.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Constitutional Safeguards:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The\u00a0Right to Live with Dignity\u00a0is implicit in the Fundamental Rights guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">Article 46 of the Constitution, on the other hand, provides that the State shall protect the weaker sections, particularly the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>The practice of manual scavenging no longer takes place in the country<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> as all manual scavengers had been accounted for and enrolled into the rehabilitation scheme.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>Swachhta Udyami Yojana<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">: eventually, the idea is to also link these sanitation workers to the Swachhta Udyami Yojana, through which the workers will be able to <\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>own sanitation machines themselves<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"> and the government will ensure that at the municipality level.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should make<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u00a0expansion of the sewer network<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0a top priority and come up with a scheme for<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u00a0scientific maintenance that will end the manual cleaning of septic tanks.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">The laws should be\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>enforced vigorously<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0to<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u00a0eliminate manual scavenging<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0in its entirety.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">There should be<\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><strong>\u00a0trials and testing of protective gears<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\">\u00a0and provisions for better healthcare facilities, insurance cover, pension plans and regulations on preventive and social medicine education for the manual scavengers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/govt-to-enumerate-people-engaged-in-hazardous-cleaning-of-septic-tanks-sewers\/article65761912.ece\" style=\"text-decoration-line:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"color:#1155cc\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In News Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is preparing to undertake a nationwide survey to enumerate all people engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, an activity that has led to at least 351 deaths since 2017. Manual Scavenging &#038; Sanitation workers\u00a0 Manual scavenging: It is one of the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-7370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-gs1"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2402528Screenshot_20220813-205551_One UI Home.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}