THE GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. OLD PENSION SCHEME VS NEW PENSION SCHEME

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh announced the restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) for government employees for the year 2022-2023.

THE EXPLANATION:

NPS vs OPS: The old pension scheme was done away with in December 2003 by the BJP-led central government when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister. Its substitute, the National Pension Scheme (NPS), took effect from April 1, 2004.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority:

• It is the statutory Authority established by an enactment of the Parliament, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the National Pension System (NPS).
• It works under the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance.
• It performs the function of appointing various intermediate agencies like Pension Fund Managers, Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) etc.
• It develops, promotes and regulates the pension industry under the NPS and also administers the Atal Pension Yojana.

2. ‘LABOUR PARTICIPATION DIPS TO 40% FROM 46% IN SIX YEARS’

THE CONTEXT: According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, Only 40% of Indians of legal working age were employed or were looking for jobs in 2021-22. In comparison, the labour force participation rate was above 46% in 2016-17.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In absolute terms, India’s labour force has shrunk from about 445 million to 435 million in the six years. Currently, about 1,085 million Indians are aged 15 or above and can be legally employed.
• Labour force participation among women, which was already in low double digits, has declined further. In 2016-17, about 15% women were employed or looking for jobs. This metric dipped to 9.2% in 2021-22.
• Among men, the participation rate declined to 67%, from more than 74%. The dip in the participation rate was higher in the urban areas.
• The rate slid to 37.5% from 44.7% in urban areas — a more than seven percentage-point drop. The rate in rural areas fell to 41.4% from 46.9%. Of the 24 States with data, 23 saw participation rates decline in March 2022 compared with March 2016.
• The rate dropped in all the States, except in Rajasthan. The slide was more pronounced in two southern States, which had a high participation rate to start with.
• Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had participation rates of 54% and 56%, respectively, in March 2016, and witnessed the sharpest declines. Between 2016 and 2022, participation rates fell 20 percentage points and 17 percentage points for Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. THE QUARREL OVER KURIL ISLANDS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook for 2022 described the Kuril Islands (which Japan calls the Northern Territories and Russia as the South Kurils) as being under Russia’s “illegal occupation”.

THE EXPLANATION:

This is the first time in about two decades that Japan has used this phrase to describe the dispute over the Kuril Islands. Japan had been using softer language since 2003, saying that the dispute over the islands was the greatest concern in Russia-Japan bilateral ties.

What are the Kuril Islands/ Northern Territories?

• These are a set of four islands situated between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean near the north of Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido. Both Moscow and Tokyo claim sovereignty over them though the islands have been under Russian control since the end of World War II.
• The Soviet Union had seized the islands at the end of World War II and by 1949 had expelled its Japanese residents. Tokyo claims that the disputed islands have been part of Japan since the early 19th century.

What lies behind the dispute?

• According to Tokyo, Japan’s sovereignty over the islands is confirmed by several treaties like the Shimoda Treaty of 1855, the 1875 Treaty for the exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands (Treaty of St. Petersburg), and the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 signed after the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05 which Japan had won.
• Russia, on the other hand, claims the Yalta Agreement (1945) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945) as proof of its sovereignty and argues that the San Francisco Treaty of 1951 is legal evidence that Japan had acknowledged Russian sovereignty over the islands. Under Article 2 of the treaty, Japan had “renounced all right, title and claim to the Kuril Islands.”
• However, Japan argues that the San Francisco Treaty cannot be used here as the Soviet Union never signed the peace treaty. Japan also refuses to concede that the four disputed islands were in fact part of the Kuril chain.

Have there been attempts at resolution?

• Since 1991, there have been many attempts to resolve the dispute and sign a peace treaty. The most recent attempt was under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when joint economic development of the disputed islands was explored. In fact, both countries had agreed to have bilateral negotiations based on the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration.
• Russia was even willing to give back two islands, the Shikotan Island and the Habomai islets, to Japan after the conclusion of a peace treaty as per the 1956 declaration.
• Japan’s attempt to improve ties with Russia was driven by its need to diversify energy sources and Russia by its need to diversify its basket of buyers and bring in foreign investments. But nationalist sentiments on both sides prevented resolution of the dispute.

What next?

• Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Japan made its unhappiness with Russia clear with its Foreign Minister Hideki Uyama, saying that Russia had “occupied” the southern part of the Kuril Islands, thereby violating international law.
• Japan has been among the most steadfast of Western allies in denouncing Russian aggression and punishing it with sanctions.
• The recent statement in its Diplomatic Bluebook will further damage relations between the two countries. Japan has probably been spurred by its fears of a Russia-China alliance as Japan itself has territorial disputes and an uneasy history with China.
• Secondly, Japan might have felt that this is a good opportunity to further isolate Russia and paint it as a “habitual offender” of international law.
• Finally, Tokyo might have been prompted to take this position as it feels that the invasion of Ukraine proves that getting back the Kuril Islands is a lost cause. Japan’s policy shift on the Kuril Islands will only embitter bilateral relations with Russia while advancing the possibility of its two neighbours, China and Russia, coming together against it.

 THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. FOREST FIRES CAN BE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN REDUCING SOLAR POWER PRODUCTION IN INDIA

THE CONTEXT: A new study has found that forest fires which plague different parts of India, especially during the summer season play a major role in reducing solar power production in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

Analysis of the energy and financial losses due to the direct and indirect effects of forest fires on the production of solar plants can help grid operators to plan and schedule power generation, as also the distribution, supply, security, and overall stability of power production.

• Recently, solar energy generation has been widely used in developing countries such as India which has sufficient solar resources. However, several factors like clouds, aerosols, and pollution generated from various sources limit the solar irradiance causing performance issues in the photovoltaic and concentrated solar power plant installations. Large-scale development of a solar energy system requires proper planning, and there is a need to estimate the solar potential.
• Keeping this in mind, a group of researchers at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital an autonomous research institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Govt. of India, and the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Greece tried to trace the factors that reduce solar energy production. They found that apart from clouds and aerosols, forest fires play a very crucial role in reducing solar energy production.
• The study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Remote Sensing shows that the aerosol optical depth values were up to 1.8 during the study period (January to April 2021), during which massive forest fire events led to attenuation of total solar radiation incident on a horizontal surface (global horizontal irradiance- GHI ) and solar radiation received from the sun without having been scattered (beam horizontal irradiance –BHI) by 0 to 45%. During this period the air masses were renewed quickly mitigating the smoke contribution to the total aerosol loads and were dominated by continental pollution.
• The scientists used remote sensing data for the research and studied the impact of aerosols and clouds on the solar energy potential over the Indian region with extensive analysis and model simulations. They also provided an analytical financial analysis in terms of revenue and losses due to clouds and aerosols.
• The findings of the present study will drastically increase the awareness among decision-makers about the effect of forest fires on energy management and planning at a country level. In addition, this research can support the mitigation processes and policies for climate change and its direct and indirect impacts on sustainable development.

Financial analysis of the aerosol, dust, and cloud impacts on the produced solar energy during January to April 2021. The impact was quantified in terms of daily mean and total energy losses, financial losses, and solar energy potential.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

5. ENABLING RURAL WOMEN

10 crores of women connected by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) who set the target of “Mission ₹1 lakh”, aimed at raising the annual income of women under self-help groups and boosting economic activity in rural areas across India. According to the Ministry for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj called upon the panchayats to ensure public welfare through empowerment, public participation, transparency and use of technology. Mission ₹1 lakh is an initiative aimed at enabling rural SHG women.

6. INCREASE IN INDIA’S MILITARY EXPENDITURE

• There is an 0.9 percentage, the increase in India’s military expenditure to $76.6 billion in 2021 when compared to 2020, according to a report released by defence think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

• China, the world’s second-largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7%from 2020 and 72% from 2012, the report added. The militaries of India and China have been in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh for the last 23 months.

7. NATURAL FARMING

According to Agricultural Ministry, 4 lakh hectares, the land brought under natural farming so far as part of a sub-scheme of the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, and it was the need of the hour to do farming that works in harmony with nature, reduces the cost of production, and ensures good-quality produce and profits to farmers. Noted that Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, parts of Haryana and Gujarat were gradually adapting to natural farming.

8. TIGER DEATHS

The 17 tigers to have died in Madhya Pradesh in the last 107 days, including three due to poaching, according to an official. A tigress cub was found dead in the buffer zone of Bandhavgarh Reserve in what may have been the handiwork of an adult tiger. Between January and December 2021, the State had lost 42 tigers, the biggest chunk of the 127 deaths nationwide reported by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q1. In the field of economy, which of the following best explains meaning of term ‘cost disease’?

a) Increase in the cost of goods and services even if there is no increase in demand.

b) Selling of goods at low cost due to weak demand.

c) Increase in the cost of goods due to hoarding by traders.

d) Increase in the wages of certain laborer’s even though their productivity or skill level has not risen commensurately.

Q2. Kuril Islands, recently seen in news, are situated between

a) The Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean

b)The Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean

c) The Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan

d) The Sea of Japan and the East China Sea

ANSWER FOR 25TH APRIL 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation carries out an all-India survey on household consumption expenditure.

1. Learning to overcome prolonged grief READ MORE
2. Integrity is a way of life READ MORE

1. Centre-state coordination must for cleaner air READ MORE
2. Fulfilling CoP26 promises can limit global warming to 2°C: Study READ MORE

1. The climate crisis threatens universal health care achievements READ MORE
2. The Great Indian Poverty Debate, 2.0 READ MORE
3. The likely demographic impact of the covid pandemic READ MORE

1. Data, interrupted: Reviving the official household spending survey is only a first step READ MORE  
2. View: The core issues for regulators in India are inadequate autonomy and lack of parliamentary accountability READ MORE
3. A paradigm shift in higher education READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. What is Cost disease READ MORE
2. India’s Labour Force Market Down From 46% To 40% In 6 Years: CMIE Report READ MORE
3. At $76.6 billion, India is third highest military spender in world, says report READ MORE
4. States vs Centre on selection of Vice-Chancellors: rules, friction READ MORE
5. Edible oil industry suggests govt initiate dialogue with Indonesia over palm oil ban READ MORE
6. COVID-19: Wasting in children increased in low, middle income countries due to economic shock READ MORE
7. Explained | The Raisina Dialogue 2022 and its significance READ MORE
8. Explained: European Union ground rules for Web READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. The likely demographic impact of the covid pandemic READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Data, interrupted: Reviving the official household spending survey is only a first step READ MORE  
2. View: The core issues for regulators in India are inadequate autonomy and lack of parliamentary accountability READ MORE
3. A paradigm shift in higher education READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The climate crisis threatens universal health care achievements READ MORE
2. The Great Indian Poverty Debate, 2.0 READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. To counter China’s BRI, MEA launches growth model READ MORE
2. India, again, ‘Country of Particular Concern’ on religious freedom grounds, says U.S. Commission READ MORE
3. India, Europe and the Russian complication READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Bolstering IBC architecture – a joke READ MORE
2. The poverty debate is an opportunity for food subsidy reforms READ MORE
3. RBI’s hawkish stance on liquidity READ MORE
4. Regulating digital assets READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 

1. Centre-state coordination must for cleaner air READ MORE
2. Fulfilling CoP26 promises can limit global warming to 2°C: Study READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Learning to overcome prolonged grief READ MORE
2. Integrity is a way of life READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Analyse the importance of public data gathered from various surveys for effective policymaking by the government.
2. How far do you agree with this view that as India faces the dilemma of inflation and economic recession, the RBI should not focus on controlling inflation and consider other tools in its MPC meeting? Analyse your view with the help of appropriate examples.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Example, whether good or bad, has a powerful influence.
• Reviving the official household spending survey is only a first step.
• The greatest wrong of the pandemic is how inequitable the rollout of health tools has been.
• The world faces its greatest challenge since the founding of the UN after the Second World War. Historic challenges need historic leadership and time is not on our side.
• Ukraine war has persuaded Delhi to recalibrate its great power relations, compelled Brussels to wake up from geopolitical slumber.
• India appears to have had neither a baby boom nor bust but we do need the numbers for policy planning.
• We must remain focused on the issues of youth, education and employment, and at the same time of the elderly, namely healthcare, elderly care and pensions. This bar-belling of requirements will require skilful political navigation.
• CCRI has placed India as one of the 33 extremely high-risk countries with flooding and air pollution being the repeated environmental shocks, leading to socio-economic adverse consequences for women and children. The Covid pandemic made us a bit more conscious of our food choices and reduced food waste.
• We must build on that and insist on calculated purchasing and single-use packaging as the shopping norm. The mindset has to change from ‘food abundance’ mode to ‘food scarcity’.
• Against the backdrop of the poverty debate Sparked by the IMF and the World Bank working papers, the Centre must consider reforming food subsidies meaningfully.
• With inflation rising, a slower monetary policy tightening by RBI could accelerate de-anchoring of inflation expectations. RBI might “bite the bullet” by hiking policy rates in upcoming MPC meetings.

50-WORD TALK

• Emmanuel Macron’s re-election as France’s President is a triumph for European centrists. His rival, Marine Le Pen, had vowed to pull France out of NATO, scrap the Euro and slash taxes. Economic hardship and social divisions helped Le Pen—but most voters realised her populist nationalism wouldn’t solve these problems.
• The increasingly frequent fire incidents involving electric two-wheelers is worrying news for the emerging automobile sector. Manufacturers and the government should urgently put their heads together and come up with tough standards for EV batteries and e-bikes. Transition to EVs is critical but can’t be at the cost of safety.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 211]

THE CONTEXT: In the first week of April 2022 the appalling spectacle of human beings dying inside sewer lines was repeated on the outskirts of the national Capital after four people died in the area of Delhi. Before it, the Ministry of Social Justice and Women Empowerment said that a total of 971 people lost their lives while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since 1993, the year law prohibiting the employment of manual scavengers was enacted.

THE DEVELOPMENT

• A total of 971 people lost their lives while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since 1993, the year law prohibiting the employment of manual scavengers was enacted
• Tamil Nadu accounted for 214 of the 971 “sewer deaths”, the highest in the country. Gujarat reported 156 such deaths and Uttar Pradesh 106, the data said.
• In 703 cases, ₹10 lakh as compensation had been paid to the families of the victims, and in 136, an amount of less than ₹10 lakh was given.
• However, the Minister said, a total of 161 people died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the last three years but there was no death by manual scavenging.

WHAT IS MANUAL SCAVENGING?

• Manual scavenging is a profession which has been in existence since human civilisation. The inhuman practice of manually removing human excrements from dry toilets with bare hands, brooms, or metal scrappers; carrying excrements and baskets to dumping sites for disposal, is not only diabolic but perhaps the highest degree of human rights violation.
• People are made to carry out manual scavenging in two basic forms: the cleaning of dry latrines, and the cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. Both are illegal under the Manual Scavenging Act.
• In the first case, casteist attitudes enforce people into carrying out this labour and then perpetuating their exploitation.
• The second is an urban mess coupled with ignorance, lack of awareness, or deliberate disregard for the law, which makes people carry out this work. This category is often rationalised with the logic of demand and supply.
• Manual Scavengers are usually self-employed or contract employees. “Self-employed” means a person who scavenges a group of households” dry latrines or drains etc. in a particular ward, for payment in cash and/or in-kind, by the house-owners. Contract employees would normally be those who are hired through contractors, by a municipal body or any other organization or a group of house owners, to scavenge individual or community dry latrines and open drains where night soil is disposed.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• based on census data, Risley, the Commissioner for 1901 Census, classified castes into seven main categories according to their social standing and ranked the Jatis in the local hierarchy and varna affiliation of each.
• The scavenging castes which were known by different names in different States like
• Bhangi, Balmiki, Chuhra, Mehtar, Mazhabi, Lal Begi, Halalkhor etc. in northern India;
• Har, Hadi, Hela, Dom, and Sanei, etc. in eastern India; Mukhiyar, Thoti, Chachati, Pakay, Relli, etc. in Southern India; and
• Mehtar, Bhangias, Halalkhor, Ghasi, Olgana, Zadmalli, Barvashia, Metariya, Jamphoda and Mela etc. in Western and Central India,

 Why is manual scavenging still prevalent in India?

• The lack of enforcement of the Act and exploitation of unskilled labourers are the reasons why the practice is still prevalent in India.
• For example, the Mumbai civic body charges anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 to clean septic tanks. Meanwhile, unskilled labourers are much cheaper to hire and contractors illegally employ them at a daily wage of Rs 300-500.
• According to a report by Safai Karmachari Andolan, 472 deaths due to manual scavenging had been recorded from 2016 to 2020 in Mumbai alone.

LEGAL / LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK AND COMMITTEES/COMMISSIONS FOR MANUAL SCAVENGERS

THE PROTECTION OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, 1955: 

• It has been enacted to abolish the practice of untouchability and social disabilities arising out of it against members of the Scheduled Castes.
• Under the revised Act, the practice of untouchability was made both cognizable and non-compoundable offence and stricter punishment was provided for the offenders.

THE SCHEDULED CASTES & SCHEDULED TRIBES (PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES) ACT, 1989:

• The Act, inter alia, specifies some types of offenses as atrocities, provides for the imposition of stricter penalties for the guilty and sets up Special Courts for speedy trial of such cases.

EMPLOYMENT OF MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND CONSTRUCTION OF DRY LATRINES (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1993:

• It provides for the prohibition of employment of manual scavengers as well as construction or continuance of dry latrines and for the regulation of construction and maintenance of water-sealed latrines and matters connected therewith.
• The act made employing a manual scavenger a cognisable offense with imprisonment and a fine.
• The 1993 Act made it the responsibility of citizens, organisations, and the state to maintain sanitary toilets.

THE PROHIBITION OF EMPLOYMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND THEIR REHABILITATION ACT, 2013:

• It has widened the definition of manual scavenging and shifted the focus of initiatives to end manual scavenging beyond sanitation to protect the dignity of communities engaged as manual scavengers.
• The 2013 Act prohibits dry latrines and outlaws all manual cleaning of excrement and cleaning gutters, sewers, and septic tanks without protective gear.
• The act says National Commission for SafaiKaramcharis (NCSK) would monitor the Act’s implementation and inquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of the Act.

SCHEMES FOR WELFARE AND REHABILITATION OF MANUAL SCAVENGER

VALMIKI MALIN BASTI AWASYOJNA (VAMBAY): 

• This scheme was launched in 2001 with the aim to provide shelter and upgrade the existing shelter for people living below the poverty line in urban slums which helps in making cities slum-free.
• The scheme is shared on a 50:50 basis with states.

TOTAL SANITATION CAMPAIGN (TSC):

• The Total Sanitation Campaign is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with a broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation.
• TSC was initiated in 1999 when Central Rural Sanitation Programme was restructured making it demand-driven and people-centered.

NATIONAL SCHEME OF LIBERATION AND REHABILITATION OF SCAVENGERS (NSLRS):

• NSLRS was launched in 1992 to provide alternate employment to the scavengers and their dependents.
• Under NSLRS, the Government of India has formulated and issued guidelines to all States and their Special Central Assistance (SCAs) to form groups of 5 to 25 scavengers and start a production-cum-trading-cum service center for large-scale conversion of dry latrines through Sanitary Marts in which the loan component would be provided by the National SafaiKaramcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).

SELF-EMPLOYMENT SCHEME FOR THE REHABILITATION OF MANUAL SCAVENGERS: The scheme is a successor to NSLRS which provides for: –

• One-time cash assistance of Rs 40,000 each to the identified manual scavengers.
• Loan for undertaking livelihood projects uptoRs 15 lakh at a concessional rate of interest.
• Credit linked capital subsidy up to Rs 3,25,000.
• Skill development training for up to two years with a stipend of Rs 3000 per month.

SWACCH BHARAT ABHIYAAN: Some of the features of the mission that promotes prohibition on manual scavenging are:

• Conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets,
• Eradication of manual scavenging,
• Spreading awareness among the citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health.

SOME MAJOR IMPLICATIONS OF MANUAL SCAVENGING

• the Increasing number of waste-pickers is considered a sign of growing poverty. In this way, the Right to life of scavengers remains under consistent threat.
• Right to equality and dignity are violated due to the continuance of such inhuman practice.
• Right of Food or right against Hunger is violated due to the continuance of the evil practice of Scavenging.
• Manual scavengers are exposed to the most virulent forms of viral and bacterial infections that affect their skin, eyes, and limbs, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. According to the Environmental Sanitation Institute, Gandhi Ashram, the majority of scavengers suffered from anaemia, diarrhea, and vomiting.
• Right to development is also violated.
• Many labourers have died cleaning septic tanks and drains due to poisonous gases as the majority of them are without the necessary safety equipment.
• Social Exclusion experienced by Manual Scavengers by Denying access to places of worship, public sources of water & exclusion from cultural events

WHY MANUAL SCAVENGING STILL PERSISTS?

A plethora of legislation was enacted for ensuring an equitable and casteless society, but the conditions of the scavenging communities have remained deplorable.

Govt apathy:

1. Poor implementation of the MSRA, 2013

• 6 Mn insanitary latrines still exist (NGO Safai Karamchari Andolan, Census 2011 data)
• 72% of these are in Andhra, Assam, J&K, Maha, TN, UP, and WB
• 3 million Dalits (mostly women) make living as manual scavengers (NGO data)

1. 99% reduction (2014 vs. 2017) in budgetary allocations by the center. This is despite GoI’s commitment to sanitation and a dedicated cess.
2. The National Safai Karmachari Commission which was mandated to implement the act has not been functioning properly. Its website has not been updated about recent developments and new initiatives.
3. The States/UTs are slow to identify insanitary latrines and manual scavengers as there is no time-bound plan for identifying insanitary latrines and manual scavengers.

Indian Railways:

• Continues to be the largest employer of Manual Scavengers (no data available about the no. of MS employed)
• Typically employs Manual Scavengers through ‘contractors’

Societal prejudice:

• popular insensitivity towards the issue
• the notion of caste and pollution
• stigmatisation of the dalits

Loopholes in the 2013 Law: 

• The 2013 Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act aimed to introduce safety measures for manual scavengers and encouraged their rehabilitation. Activists and manual scavengers have since criticized the law on the grounds that it does not strictly ban the practice.
• The 2013 Act allows manual scavenging if the employer provides ‘protective gear’; However, the Act does not define what constitutes ‘protective gear,’ creating a possibility for employers to exploit this provision.

Slow & inadequate rehabilitation of manual scavengers:

• Manual scavengers are mostly illiterate and have no exposure to any work, other than sanitation-related work. Many of them are old. They lack confidence for running self-employment projects. Many of them are not willing even to avail any skill development training.
• Banks are hesitant about providing loans to manual scavengers. Even many State Channelizing Agencies, due to the low rate of recovery of loans from safai karamcharis, are not willing to extend loans to manual scavengers.

What should be done?

• Without community participation and awareness this dehumanizing practice cannot be abolished. Government must try to create a favorable environment through community awareness and sensitization of local administration.
• Strict enforcement of criminal penalties of the 2013 act must be undertaken.
• As long as open defecation and dry latrines continue, manual scavenging is not likely to die, thus government must fasten the process of identification of insanitary toilets, their demolition, and rebuilding.
• Build the capacity of the community to promote rehabilitation efforts and self-reliance and also build leadership in the community with a particular focus on Dalit women
• Alternate means of employment should be generated for the impoverished people who are forced to become manual scavengers due to a lack of alternatives means of livelihood.
• Breaking caste barriers through education and economic uplift.
• Compensation sanctioned for the families of those who died in the course of the humiliating and hazardous work should be paid immediately.

TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO ELIMINATE MANUAL SCAVENGING

Despite legislation and widespread campaigning against manual scavenging, the inhuman practice continues in India. But when it comes to solutions, there are practically none. The lack of technological replacement for humans cleaning sewers and septic tanks is the biggest challenge that the country faces. So, how do we end this? Here’s a brief look and what can be done and what needs to be done:

Machines: 

• When it comes to cleaning the drains, jetting and sucking machines can only be used on large roads.
• The government should place orders for small machines to negotiate the smaller lanes.
• Companies can manufacture them according to the customers’ requirements.

Design:

• The government has made it a criminal offense to ask someone to carry out manual scavenging but has not backed it up with redesigning septic tanks.
• Septic tanks here are designed badly. They have engineering defects which means that after a point, a machine cannot clean them.
• Sucking machines suck out liquid waste from septic tanks, but sometimes, fecal matter hardens and solidifies.

Proper waste disposal:

• It doesn’t help that people flush all kinds of things down the toilet with no thought for its repercussions. Improper disposal of condoms, sanitary napkins, and diapers contributes to clogged drains that machines cannot clear. This also creates circumstances forcing people to enter sewers.

Bio-Toilets:

• Indian RAIL has rolled out new coaches with bio-toilets, using the bio-digester concept of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• In phases, all conventional toilets should be replaced with bio-toilets, and the Southern Railway is looking at having only bio-toilets.

Bandicoot Robot & Sewer Croc:

• Sewer Croc, Bandicoot, and 14 other machines are in various development and deployment stages, with no help from the Centre.
• India’s first ‘manhole cleaning robot’ called Bandicoot.
• The Sewer Croc team came together last year following a spate of deaths of manual scavengers, and after a meeting with SKA’s national convenor, Bezwada Wilson.
• However, there are R&D problems: for instance, manholes are not consistent in shape or size: some are square, some are round; some are cylindrical, some are conical, and their diameters vary.

The WAY FORWARD:

In India in the 21st century, which aspires to be a world power the practice of manual scavenging must be abolished; otherwise, it will remain a blot on India and its value system. An aggressive campaign for this which focus on the attitudinal change in all sections of the society must be followed. The National Commission for SafaiKaramchari must be made responsive and responsible to time needs. Swachh Bharat Mission may be used to actively target the conversion of insanitary latrines on a priority basis. Liberated manual scavengers must be linked to social security and other welfare schemes to ensure that they are not dependent on this inhuman work for their survival. With all these steps if taken seriously the problem of manual scavenging can be eliminated.

THE CONCLUSION: A slew of interventions are needed to end manual scavenging including better methods of sanitation in the railways — were one of the largest sections of manual scavengers are employed to clean tracks — and more efficient machines to empty septic tanks. It is not going to be possible to eliminate manual scavenging unless we create the right technologies.

BEST PRACTICE: MALAYSIA’S TRANSFORMATION

• In Malaysia, for instance, sewerage management has evolved in a phased manner from primitive systems to more mechanical and automated systems since the country’s independence in 1957.
• New and improved equipment has also been continuously introduced due to technological advancements. Over time, this has increased the expectations regarding environmental standards and the skill level in the design, and construction.
• In the 1950s there were instances of Chinese migrants who were made to do manual scavenging.
• It was not an overnight decision. Malaysia started to make this shift to mechanisation not because there was activism in place to eradicate manual scavenging like in India, but because they wanted to promote the country as a tourist destination. There was a big push from the government for this.
• The approach was taken by the Malaysian government, highly subsidised the construction and maintenance of sewage plants. They also carried out surveys and outreach programmes to educate citizens about how often they should get their septic tanks cleaned.