GOVERNMENT DETERMINED TO END MANUAL
SCAVENGING BY 2007, SAYS Dr. SATYANARAYAN JATIYA
The Government is
determined to totally eradicate the scourge of manual scavenging
in the country within next five years. The Minister of Social
Justice and Empowerment Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya stated this while
addressing the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee
attached to his Ministry here today. He said a Mission Mode approach
is proposed to be adopted in this regard. Dr. Jatiya said although
the liberation and rehabilitation of scavengers would be now done
by the Ministry of Urban development and Poverty Alleviation,
the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment would continue
to educate and train scavengers and help them in seeking dignified
employment. He said that we can permanently eradicate manual scavenging
by targeting children of scavengers no sooner they attain school
going age. The Minister said that the state governments would
be told to identify children of scavengers for education and vocational
training. Dr. Jatiya said that Centre is giving top priority to
liberation and rehabilitation of scavengers as scavenging occupation
violates basic human rights. He said the Sanitary Mart concept
developed during 2000-01 for rehabilitation of scavengers would
be further energized and activated. Dr. Jatiya said the Sanitary
Mart concept was introduced to develop commercial skills among
scavengers and organizing them into groups for running Sanitary
Marts on business lines. The meeting was told that Rs.70 crore
have been disbursed under the Sanitary Marts scheme during the
last two years.
Describing the liberation
of scavengers as a challenging job, the Minister of State for
Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Kailash Meghwal said
that it should be made a national project. Participating in the
meeting, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment
Shri Nagmani called for creating awareness at grass roots level
about various schemes being run by the Ministry.
The Secretary, Social
Justice and Empowerment Shri B.S.Baswan said the term loan assistance
by the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation
(NSKFDC) to the beneficiaries has doubled during the last two
years. It has disbursed Rs. 134.12 crore to about 62 thousand
beneficiaries till the end of 2002-03 as compared to Rs. 64.03
crore upto 31st March 2001.
Shri K.H. Muniyappa
and Prof. A.K.Premajam, both MPs, called for eradicating the problem
within a time frame. They said that ways and means must be found
for availing of the schemes by the target groups.
