Houselisting and Housing Census, 2011 data released by the Registrar General of India in March, 2012, has, inter alia, provided number of households by type of latrine facility, including latrines from which night soil is manually removed. According to this data, such latrines existed in all States/Union Territories except in the States of Goa, Sikkim, and the UTs of Chandigarh and Lakshadweep. Existence of manually serviced latrines in the States/UTs points to the fact that the practice of manual scavenging is yet to be eliminated there.

            As per the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC-2011) data of manual scavengers released by the Ministry of Rural Development on 03.07.2015, there were 1,82,505 manual scavengers in the rural areas of the country. State-wise details age given is:

SECC-2011 data of manual scavengers is based on respondent input as revealed by the households to the enumerator. Under the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013)” which has come into force with effect from 06.12.2013, the claim of any person of being a manual scavenger is to be got verified by the local authority for inclusion in the list of identified manual scavengers to become eligible for rehabilitation as per the provisions of the MS Act, 2013. Accordingly, the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations have been requested to verify the SECC-2011 data of manual scavengers and upload the list of identified manual scavengers on the website www.mssuvey.nic.in for their rehabilitation.

            As per the latest information available on the basis of survey undertaken so far, 12,226 manual scavengers have been identified in 12 States, State-wise details of which are given is:

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment does not maintain the statistics of such cases. As per Section 21 of the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013” (MS Act, 2013), Executive Magistrates who have been conferred judicial powers of first class are empowered to try any offences committed under the Act.

The sole cause for manual scavenging is the existence of insanitary latrines. Section 5 of the MS Act, 2013 prohibits construction of insanitary latrines and engaging of manual scavengers from the date of commencement of the Act i.e. 06.12.2013. The Act provides for identification of insanitary latrines and their demolition/conversion into sanitary latrines on a time bound basis. The Municipalities, Cantonment Boards and Railway authorities have been mandated to construct adequate number of community sanitary latrines within a period of three years from the date of commencement of the Act to eliminate the practice of open defecation. The Act also provides for identification and rehabilitation of the existing manual scavengers, which includes skill development training with stipend and concessional loan for taking up an alternative occupation on sustainable basis.

This information was given by the Minister of State, Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Vijay Sampla in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha here today.

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AKP/ASB