States' claims over eradicating manual scavenging 'far from the truth': NHRC

Holding that claims of many states on the eradication of manual scavenging "far from the truth", the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that accountability must be fixed in case of wrong reporting by authorities about the number of manual scavengers in any region of the country.

The NHRC has also recommended the broadening of the definition of manual scavenging to cover other types of hazardous cleaning or enactment of a new law for hazardous cleaning.

A penal section could be put in a law to prevent the discrimination and harassment faced by the children of manual scavengers and women manual scavengers.

Read: 3,238 manual scavengers in Karnataka: Safai commission chief

In recommendations that are being sent to the Centre and states, the NHRC has advocated that the rehabilitation process of manual scavengers may be linked to schemes under which they can immediately start earning like MNREGA and revisit to see how they and their families are doing.

It also wants the compensation paid as one-time cash assistance for rehabilitation of manual scavengers may be enhanced from Rs 40,000 to Rs one lakh. Nodal authority that will bear the expense of such compensation should also be clearly specified.

Steps should be taken to remove the role of middle-men by making provision like Direct Benefit Transfer or by collaborating with NGOs. There should be strict action against local authorities, which employ people to work as manual scavengers.

An app and a toll-free number for registration of complaints should be developed while the National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB) should monitor the sewer deaths.

The Ministry of Finance should designate a nationalised bank for each state to take-up the responsibility of extending loans to manual scavengers and their dependents up to Rs 10 lakh to take up the business activity.

Either individual or group insurances must be provided to Manual Scavengers and the premium shall be paid by local bodies, the NHRC said adding the National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development Corporation could also provide financial assistance to help start up working in the domain of sanitation and training to them.

The NHRC also emphasised the need for planning adequate investment to facilitate the shift to the use of technology, maintenance of technology and training workers.

The recommendations also said that the cases of manual scavenging should be investigated by a police official who had special training under SC/ST Atrocities Act, 1989, PEMS&R Act, 2013 and Supreme Court 2014 judgment.

The recommendations were finalised after analysing the suggestions received during the online regional workshop on issues and challenging of manual scavenging and human rights chaired by NHRC member Justice PC Pant on December 18 last year.