941 workers died while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since 1993

Since 1993, up to 941 workers have died cleaning sewers or septic tanks while there are no reports of deaths from manual cleanup, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

A total of 58,098 manual scavengers have been identified across the country, Kumar said.

“There is no report of deaths from manual cleanup. However, we have reports of worker deaths cleaning sewers or septic tanks, ”he said.

According to the minister, 941 workers died cleaning sewers or septic tanks.

Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of such deaths at 213, followed by 153 in Gujarat, 104 in Uttar Pradesh, 98 in Delhi, 84 in Karnataka and 73 in Haryana, the data showed.

In response to another question, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said 941 deaths have been recorded since 1993.

Manual tidying up is prohibited according to the 2013 Act on Prohibition of Employment as Manual Tidying Up and its Rehabilitation.

As part of the Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS), Kumar said a one-time cash grant of Rs 40,000 was deposited directly into the bank accounts of all 58,098 identified and eligible manual scavengers.

Listing benefits under the SRMS, he said 16,057 manual scavengers and their loved ones received skills development training in various occupations, and 1,387 manual scavengers, plumbing workers and their dependents received capital grants for self-employed projects, including hygiene-related projects.

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