(a) whether the Government have chalked out fresh schemes namely `Sanitary Mart and Swachkar Vimukti Yojana` for relieving scavengers from their traditional occupation and to rehabilitate them;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the amount allocated for each Scheme during the last three years, State-wise; and
(d) the number of scavengers benefited under each scheme during the last three years and as on date?
MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
(SMT. MANEKA GANDHI)
(a) & (b) The Ministry has a National Scheme of Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers and their dependents (NSLRS) which is implemented by the State Scheduled Castes Development Corporations or the States where the Corporations have not been constituted. The objective of the Scheme is to provide adequate training and financially assist the target groups for taking up alternate occupations. The scheme provides for 100% central assistance to State Scheduled Castes Development Corporations for training of scavengers. For rehabilitation, central assistance is provided as subsidy and part of the Margin Money Loan. The details of the scheme are given in the annexure-I.
The Hon`ble Prime Minister in his inaugural address in Convention of Members of Parliament belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, held in December 1999, underlined the urgent need to abolish the inhuman practice of carrying night soil as head load. Accordingly this Ministry suggested to States/UTs in January 2000 to consider setting up of sanitary Marts under NSLRS, for Effective and sustainable rehabilitation of scavengers in alternate occupations. Sanitary Mart is a cooperative of around 20-25 scavengers that stocks sanitary related items besides taking up production of sanitary items like water borne flush latrines. These marts also serve as a service centres where scavengers could take up the construction of latrines. The Sanitary Marts may subsequently also take up solid waste disposal of hospitals, restaurants etc on agency basis and the female members of Marts may also take up stitching of uniforms of safai karamcharis and students. The Sanitary Marts, therefore, aim at not only providing suitable alternate occupations to scavengers on sustainable basis but also generate demand of wet latrines especially in areas serviced by scavengers.
(c) The year-wise central assistance released to States during last three years under the National Scheme of Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers and their dependents (NSLRS) is given in annexure-II
(d) The number of scavengers financially assisted for training as well as rehabilitation under NSLRS during last three years and the number of scavengers so far proposed to be covered during 2000-2001, is given below:-
Year Number of scavengers assisted under NSLRS for Training Rehabilitation 1997-98 15493 30626 1998-99 8010 35476 1999-2000 86316 (anticipated) 106456 (anticipated) 2000-2001 23935 (proposed) 29875 (proposed) (as on 27.11.2000)
Assistance for Training: - The Scheme provides for training of scavengers in the age group of 15-50 years in the training institutes of Central Government, State Governments, Local Bodies and Non- Governmental Organisations as per TRYSEM norms. The training period should, however, not exceed a duration of 6 months. The stipend provided to a scavenger during training period is upto Rs. 500/- per month. Besides this, the training fee per scavenger payable to the training institutes is upto Rs. 300/- per month, honorarium to craftsman upto Rs. 100 per month per scavenger and one time tool kit allowance upto Rs. 2000/- per scavenger. 100% central assistance is accordingly provided.
Assistance for Rehabilitation - Towards rehabilitation of scavengers, projects costing upto Rs. 50,000/- per beneficiary are financed by way of a prescribed financial package comprising of 50% subsidy subject to a ceiling of Rs. 10,000/- per project, 15% of project cost as Margin Money Loan (MML) which is shared between the Central Government and State Governments in the ratio 49: 51 and the rest through bank loan.