A total of 110 people have died while engaged in manual scavenging work in Tamil Nadu since 2004, said Jagadish Hiremani, member of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, who was in the Nilgiris on Monday.
After a meeting with the district collector, Mr. Hiremani told reporters Tamil Nadu had recorded the highest number of casualties resulting from manual scavenging, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. He said that ₹ 17.25 lakh had been given as compensation to each of the families of people who died while engaged in manual scavenging.
He said that though the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 had been passed, more than 21,000 people were involved in manual scavenging across the country.
He added that efforts were being taken by both the Central and State governments to completely rid the country of people being employed as manual scavengers by 2022.
Safety equipment
Mr. Hiremani also said that efforts were being undertaken to mechanise the work that manual scavengers have been employed for, while safety equipment such as gloves and boots should be supplied to sanitary workers across the State and the country in the coming months.
Speaking about the implementation of mandatory minimum wage of ₹ 18,000 a month for sanitary workers, Mr. Hiremani said that Tamil Nadu was among most States in the country that had failed to implement the minimum wage rule for their workers. He also said that efforts were being taken to ensure adequate housing, healthcare and education to the children of sanitary workers across the country.
