A review meeting was organized at the Secretariat on Monday by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department to discuss measures to prevent deaths due to manual scavenging. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday expressed concern over the state lagging behind in preventing deaths due to manual scavenging, even as it is leading in several other social indicators and sectors such as industry and information technology.
“I feel the authorities are not paying enough attention to it,” he said at a review meeting organized by the municipal administration and water supply department at the secretariat to discuss steps to prevent deaths due to manual scavenging. The Chief Minister said, “It is the duty and responsibility of the state government to prevent deaths due to manual scavenging, which is a black spot on humanity.”
Mr Stalin said as per the review done by him, most of the deaths occurred in urban areas. He warned of strict action against officials who did not take adequate precautionary measures to prevent such deaths.
SOP should be removed
Mr. Stalin also requested Shiv Das Meena, Additional Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department to come up with a standard operating procedure to prevent deaths due to manual scavenging. He also cited an agreement signed in February between the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and the Dalit Chamber of Commerce to train ‘sanitation workers’ to become entrepreneurs by giving them skill training to operate modern equipment . Loss of life due to manual scavenging.
Shri Stalin said that the Greater Chennai Corporation plans to empower people engaged in cleaning septic tanks with modern equipment and make them entrepreneurs through the Ambedkar Business Champions scheme announced in the Budget for 2023-24, for which ₹100 An amount of crores has been provided. has been allotted. He said that this scheme should be implemented within four months.
Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru, Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy, Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J.K. Radhakrishnan, Finance Secretary T. Udhayachandran among others.