377 people died while cleaning sewers in 5 years, no report of manual scavenging: Govt
New Delhi (PTI): A total of 377 people have died from 2019 to 2023 while hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks but there is no report of practice of manual scavenging in the country, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Responding to a question in the House, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale listed the steps taken for effective implementation of Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013.
In response to another question on the number of people engaged in manual scavenging, Athawale said, "There is no report of practice of manual scavenging currently in the country".
"A total of 377 persons have died in states/UTs during the last five years from 2019 to 2023 due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks," he said in a written response.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
