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PCS ParikshanMaharashtra Switch to Hindi
From Manhole to Machine Hole scheme
Why in News?
The Maharashtra government has approved the 'From Manhole to Machine Hole' scheme, aimed at preventing tragic deaths from suffocation during sewer cleaning.
Key Points
- About: It is a Maharashtra state initiative to replace manual scavenging with robotic sewer-cleaning machines, making sewer cleaning safe, modern, and dignified for workers.
- Technological Intervention: It has approved the purchase of 100 vehicle-mounted robotic sewer-cleaning machines worth Rs 100 crore.
- Legal Basis: It complies with the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR Act), which promotes rehabilitation and technical alternatives to manual cleaning.
- Implementation Agency: It is managed by the Social Justice Department through Mahatma Phule Backward Classes Development Corporation.
- Worker Training: Sanitation workers will be trained and prioritised for operating the machines, ensuring skill development and employment.
- Cost & Maintenance: Local bodies can decide the cost of operating and maintaining machines for five years, expenses borne by respective municipal corporations.
- Significance: Addresses the continued engagement of around 8,000 manual scavengers, aiming to ensure dignity, safety, and progressive sanitation practices in Maharashtra.
Manual Scavenging
- About: As per the PEMSR Act, 2013, it refers to the manual cleaning, carrying, disposal, or handling of human excreta from insanitary latrines, open drains, pits, railway tracks, or any other designated areas.
- Legal Framework: Manual scavenging has been officially banned in India under the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993.
- The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 further prohibits their employment, guarantees rehabilitation, and classifies all related offenses as cognizable and non-bailable.
- Initiatives to Curb Manual Scavenging: Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY), NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem), National Commission for Safai Karamchari
