New Delhi: Although there have been no deaths due to manual scavenging in Tamil Nadu in the last five years, 43 persons have lost their lives due to "hazardous cleaning" of sewer and septic tankas, Ramdas Athwale, Minister of State (MoS), Social Justice and Empowerment said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
" There are no deaths due to manual scavenging in Tamil Nadu. However, 43 persons have lost their lives due to hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks and non-observance of safety precautions prescribed under the 'Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, 2013," stated Athwale in a written answer.
As for the rehabilitation of those who are engaged in manual scavenging the MoS said that the Union Government is implementing a Central Sector Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS).
He further stated that the government provides one-time cash assistance of Rs. 40,000 to one identified manual scavenger in each family and capital subsidy up to Rs. 5 lakh for those who availed loans for self-employment projects including sanitation-related projects.
The MoS in a separate reply also stated that due to the steps taken by the government for training sanitation workers and providing proper equipment to them, the number of accidental deaths due to hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks have come down from 118 in 2019 to 24 in 2021.
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