No reports of manual scavenging received from States, UTs: Govt
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Athawale said that the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, had banned manual scavenging with effect from December 6, 2013.
Also read |The ugly truths of manual scavenging
Despite long-standing concerns raised by activists and independent watchdogs over continued instances of manual scavenging-related deaths, Mr. Athawale said, "No report of the practice of manual scavenging has been received from States/UTs." However, in response to another question, Mr. Athawale said the Ministry had commissioned a social audit in September 2023 to study sanitation worker deaths.
The audit examined 54 death cases that occurred in 2022 and 2023 across 17 districts in eight States, including four Districts of Maharashtra — Mumbai, Pune, Parbhani and Satara.
The audit revealed that these deaths occurred due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and the non-observance of safety procedures laid out under the 2013 Act and corresponding rules. The State and UT governments have been asked to investigate such deaths and take action under Section 7 of the Act against those responsible for engaging workers in prohibited activities.
To address this, the Government launched the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme in 2023–24 in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The initiative aims at ensuring the safety and dignity of sewer and septic tank workers across all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and empowering them socially and economically.
The scheme includes the provision of PPE kits, Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY health cards, occupational safety training, safety devices for Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs), capital subsidies for sanitation machinery and workshops to prevent hazardous cleaning practices.
In a separate written response, Minister of State for Social Justice B.L. Verma said the government is working to expand access to de-addiction services by setting up District De-addiction Centres (DDACs) in 291 districts identified as having no government-supported centres under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). An advertisement inviting proposals for setting up these centres has already been issued, Mr. Verma added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
2 hosps barred from organ transplant
Trichy: Two private hospitals — one in Trichy and another in Perambalur — have been temporarily barred from carrying out organ transplant surgeries following an ongoing investigation into illegal kidney transplants. The action follows a preliminary inquiry by a high-level committee into an alleged kidney sale racket operating out of Pallipalayam in Namakkal district. The special investigation team led by S Vineeth, director, Tamil Nadu health systems project, submitted a preliminary report to the govt highlighting violations of the Human Organ Transplantation Act, 1994. Based on the findings, the director of medical and rural welfare issued an order suspending the licences of both hospitals under Section 16(2) of the Act, citing public interest, said an official release.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
What to wear and not to wear at upcoming JIPMER convocation
The upcoming convocation ceremony for conferment of MBBS and other degrees at Jipmer, will adhere to a stipulated traditional Indian wear dress code for male and female students in place of the flowing black gown and cap. A notice by the Jipmer administration issued a couple of days ago stated that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had approved the following dress code — traditional Indian attire — for the upcoming convocation ceremony. According to the notice, the approved dress for male graduating students is either off-white, half-collar kurta (full sleeves) with pyjama/pajami or off-white shirt (full sleeves) and dhoti. The footwear code stipulates formal shoes (brown/black) and forbids sneakers, slippers, or sandals. For females, the approved wear is either off-white saree with gold border with a blouse in gold or base colour of the saree, or off-white 'Judithar/Salwar Kameez with Gold border (full sleeves)'. Women are allowed to wear sandals but only those 'which should not create noise while walking'. 'Hence, all graduating students who will be receiving their degrees in person during the upcoming Convocation are hereby informed to strictly adhere to the above dress code....'. 'No graduating student will be allowed to attend the Convocation in a dress other than the specified for the Convocation,' the notice stated. By way of offering more clarity on what attire makes the cut, the notice also attached images of the sets of dual option of dresses deemed acceptable for gentlemen and ladies to wear for the convocation ceremony. According to an official source in Jipmer, the institution is only implementing a proposal sent by the Union Ministry, and its role was limited to offering suggestions on culturally appropriate options of attire. The Ministry has now approved what is acceptable for convocation ceremonies in Jipmer, the official added. The Union Health Ministry has, since at least the last year, been pushing Centrally-administered hospitals and medical teaching institutes to do away with the colonial-era vestige at convocations and, instead adopt region-specific Indian traditional dress. Much earlier, in 2015, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had called upon all higher education institutions to adopt traditional attire for their convocation ceremonies Past attempts for revising the dress code for convocations in favour of traditional wear have evoked mixed reactions — those who hail it as another step towards decolonisation and critics who see them as political tools of revivalism. 'Since the notice appeared on our site, reactions have been split on whether this new dress code, totally new for our institution, is actually a good thing or not,' said Mruthalagi SP, a junior resident. While students who have longed to go ethnic are naturally happy, they also find the narrowing of options to just two dress types and specific colours restrictive. The 14th convocation, coming after a delay, will feature a large number of students from various batches. Students had usually been renting out the gown and robe to wear over their costumes, usually carefully chosen for a dream occasion, and get through the few hours of the convocation ceremony. 'Now, with the new stipulation on costume, it remains to be seen whether there is broader acceptance in the fraternity when the convocation day arrives', a student said. Jipmer is yet to finalise the 2025 convocation date, sources said. The institution is learnt to be keen on having the Union Health Minister as chief guest for the ceremony. Earlier, this month, the administration had pushed the 2025 convocation registration deadline to July 7 based on students request. The exact date and timing of the convocation will be published shortly on the Jipmer website. Graduation stoles will be provided on the convocation day, the institution said in a communication to students.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Over 37L dog bite cases, 54 human rabies deaths in 2024
New Delhi: More than 37 lakh cases of dog bites and 54 suspected human rabies deaths were reported during 2024, govt said on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, minister of state for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying SP Singh Baghel said that municipalities were responsible to control the stray dog population. Baghel said they are implementing the Animal Birth Control Programme to regulate the population of stray dogs. In addition, the Centre has notified the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act , 1960, which focuses on the neutering and anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs, he said. Baghel said his ministry issued an advisory in 2024 to states, asking them to implement the ABC Programme and related activities through local bodies, as part of its objective to ensure the safety of kids.
