3 lakh karamcharis still carry human excreta on their heads

Hoshiarpur, Mar 14 (UNI) There are about three lakh safai karamcharis in the country, who still carry human excreta on their heads, National Commission for Safai Karamcharis chairperson, Ms Santosh Chowdhary said today.

''The exact number of such safai karamcharis is still unknown as no proper survey had been conducted in the past. The maximum number of such karamcharis are in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.'' There are about 200 safai karamcharis, who still carry human excrement on their heads in rural areas of Punjab, she added.

She said Supreme Court had also instructed all the state governments to furnish report related to such karamchari's in their respective states before March 31 this year.

The Commission also requested Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to conduct fresh survey in this regard to ascertain the exact number of safai karamcharis in the country.

Ms Chowdhary said that the minimum Wage Act 1936, which was introduced in 1948, was silent over the privileges to be given to the labour class engaged in cleaning and sweeping. But with the efforts of the Commission, Parliament had amended the Act and had implemented it from November 3 last year.

She said the Act now defined minimum wages, security service and health facilities, to this class.

She strongly opposed the system of contractorship being adopted by municipal corporations and municipal councils for sanitation in their respective cities and towns. She said that 85 per cent of the sanitation work was being done through contractors.

The Prime Minister had recently directed all the state governments to make recruitment of safai karamcharis on regular basis to fill up at least the vacant posts, she added.

The Commission had suggested to the Planning Commission to provide suitable funds for the benefits of these karamcharis in the 11th five-year plan and to make provision of free education alongwith hostel facilities for their children, she added.

The Commission had also urged the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to observe October 2 every year as Safai Karamcharis Uthan Divas.

She further said, the allocation of funds in the annual budget for poor students under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had been increased from Rs 7,156 crore to Rs 10,041 crore for the year 2006-2007. The allocation under National Scheme for Karmacharis Financial Development Corporation had also been increased from Rs 22 crore to Rs 80 crore in the budget of 2006-2007.

UNI DP HS PR HT1907