Hon’ble Supreme Court vide order dated 20.10.2023 in Writ Petition (C) No. 324 of 2020 has ordered as follows:

   “i.   The court hereby directs the Union and the States to ensure that the compensation for sewer deaths is increased (given that the previous amount fixed, i.e., ₹ 10 lakhs) was made applicable from 1993. The current equivalent of that amount is Rs. 30 lakhs. This shall be the amount to be paid, by the concerned agency, i.e., the Union, the Union Territory or the State as the case may be. In other words, compensation for sewer deaths shall be ₹ 30 lakhs. In the event, dependent of any victim have not been paid such amount, the above amount shall be payable to them. Furthermore, this shall be the amount to be hereafter paid, as compensation.

    ii.   Likewise, in the case of sewer victims suffering disabilities, depending upon the severity of disabilities, compensation shall be disbursed. However, the minimum compensation shall not be less than ₹ 10 lakhs. If the disability is permanent, and renders the victim economically helpless, the compensation shall not be less than ₹ 20 lakhs.”

 

The directions of the Hon’ble Court have been shared with States/UTs for compliance. In compliance of Hon’ble Supreme Court order dated 20.10.2023, 22 families of death victims have been provided compensation of Rs. 30 lakhs, whereas, no incident of disability has been reported from the States/Union Territories.

As per the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013), manual scavenging is a banned activity in the country with effect from 06.12.2013. No person or agency can engage or employ any person for manual scavenging from the above date. Any person or agency who engages any person for manual scavenging in  violation of  the provisions of the MS Act, 2013 is punishable under Section 8 of the above Act, with imprisonment upto 2 years or fine upto Rs. One Lakh or both.

No death has been reported due to Manual Scavenging which is lifting of human excreta from Insanitary latrines. Further, no report from States/UTs has been received about the inhuman practice of manual scavenging.

Hon'ble Supreme Court of India vide order dated 20.10.2023 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 324/2020 in the case of Dr. Balram Singh Vs. Union of India and others has also directed for fresh survey of manual scavengers as per MS Act, 2013 and MS Rules, 2013. In compliance of the order of the Supreme Court, States/UTs were provided survey guidelines and requested to conduct survey of manual scavengers after Constituting District Level Survey Committees and other Committees.

A mobile application and portal has also been developed to capture the data of Manual Scavengers and insanitary latrines in urban and rural areas, if any. Out of 766 districts, 249 districts have declared themselves as Manual Scavengers free districts and uploaded the certificate on portal.

This information was provided by UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT, SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE, in written replies to questions in Lok Sabha today.

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VM

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