Carrying human excreta on head is service?
PM Modi has released a slogan -- ‘Swachhata hi seva’. Crores of money has been released for the purpose of ‘cleanliness’; officers and their minions have been looting at least half of these funds for their own purpose.
That being the case, who is the government declaring ‘Swachhata hi seva’ for? Is this call for the Pourakarmikas and the ones who carry human excreta on their heads to clean homes? It is rather an easy conclusion to reach, looking at Modi’s call that this declaration is mostly without any meaning.
Because the life of those who keep our surroundings clean, by clearing the manholes, carrying excreta, sweeping our roads and disposing of the waste are in pits. They are never paid on time, no decent salary to lead a life of security and dignity, and they are never given safety gears to perform their jobs.
Most of them meet their ends inside a manhole, while performing their ‘jobs’ that the society forces them to do. In his book ‘Karmayogi’ Modi speaks of the jobs of janitors and manhole cleaners as a ‘spiritual experience’.
Swachhata Andolan focuses only on building toilets and totally ignoring the caste angle in maintaining those very structures. Politicians pretend to clean the road for a photo and then they disappear for long after media covers their show.
But the ones who clear excreta and clean the roads in real sense, are Dalits. Hence, owing to caste hierarchy, though the people who hold contracts to maintenance of toilets belong to higher castes, the ones who clean these spaces are from lower caste.
One of the major failures of Swachhata Andolan would be India’s closed mindset that only lower castes must do all the cleaning jobs across the country. As per 2011 census, 7,40,078 human janitors and cleaners clear excreta from dry toilets in the country. About 1,82,505 families are still engaged in this profession in the rural part of our nation. This data is testimony to the fact that carrying human excreta is a practice that is still in force.
All the rules, policies and laws have failed in stopping this ill practice from continuing into the future. The Act to prohibit the jobs that involve carrying of human excreta from toilets passed in 1993 was rendered useless since it was not brought into practice for over three and half years subsequent to its passing.
The federal system that failed to compel the states to strengthen the states and compel them to implement the 1993 law, this act remained a mere statement. This act carried one year jail sentence and just Rs 2,000 penalty, and hence this did not discourage many people from engaging others into this heinous work.
The failure of this law led to many other legal battles. As a result of that, in 2014 case heard by the Supreme Court against the state, passed a judgment to rehabilitate Safai Karamcharis who were forced to carry human excreta.
In September 2013, the Indian Parliament passed a long-awaited law banning the practice of manual scavenging. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act 2013 prohibits the manual handling of human waste before its decomposition or treatment.
Even this failed at the implementation level. Dry toilets still exist and Dalits are still engaged in cleaning them, by way of lifting and moving human excreta with almost bare hands and no other safety gear. The 2013 policy did not even refer to rehabilitation per se. Though there are clear instructions to the management about providing safety gears to the cleaners, it is barely followed.
Though we have robust courts, barely any persons have been convicted of getting the manual scavengers to engage in this work. The law has totally failed in the implementation part. The government has to take proactive approach regarding this issue and ensure all the agencies involved take the lead in eradicating this inhuman practice.
The government has to take tough stance against those people and organisations who are forcing the others to clean manholes and lift excreta. The legal system is so sensitive to sexual choices and gender sensitive issues of women being allowed to enter the temples such as Sabarimala. But those issues are not a choice between life and death.
Lifting the dalits from manholes is the most pertinent task of a nation like India. A country needs to be aware of that. Only then, we can boast of being a nation of values, and Swachhata can be a winning card for us. Not until then, we may feel proud of our country.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
