Half of India's manual scavengers in Uttar Pradesh: Survey
Ahmedabad, June 27 : Uttar Pradesh has more than half the country's manual scavengers, an inhuman practice carried on for centuries, according to the latest survey published by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
According to the manual scavengers survey 2018 report, released in June, the largest populated state in the country has 28,796 manual scavengers of the total 53,236 manual scavengers registered through the registration camps held for the survey.
However, these figures are only from 12 states, out of the 18 where the survey is being conducted. The figures of the rest six states are being sought.
Moreover, these figures obtained for the first phase of the survey are only from 121 select districts out of the 600 districts in the country. The survey found Madhya Pradesh with 8,016 registered manual scavengers and Rajasthan with 6,643.
The survey states that Gujarat has only 146 registered scavengers, a much smaller number given that far denigrated figure, where even the deaths of manhole workers are far higher. Men entering sewerage pipelines have to manually clean the clogging of sewer lines, a work equally inhumane as manual scavenging.
The survey was presented at a three-day national seminar with the theme 'Sociology of Sanitation' inspired by Sulabh International Social Services Organisation, a NGO working for upliftment of manual scavengers and the underprivileged classes, led by Padmashree awardee Bindeshwar Pathak.
Sulab has pioneered revolutionary work of setting up public toilets across the country and eradicating the inhumane practice of manually removing human excreta.
"Time will bring that change which is needed in the mindset of the people. The problem of human waste removal was a dire one and the solution lay in Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts, which was construction of infrastructure through raw materials obtained within five kilometre radius of the construction. We came out with the novel and unique idea of two-pit latrines, which abolished the need for manual removal," said Pathak, founder of Sulab International.
"There is no other better technology than this method and now even other countries are replicating it. The most advanced countries like the US have also showed interest in replicating the two-pit latrines in their country,"
Pathak was speaking at the seminar jointly organised by the M.K. University, Bhavnagar, the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, and Sulabh International.
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Young woman from MP who shot to fame during Kumbh found to be minor, case registered against husband
Khargone (MP) (PTI): The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on Friday confirmed that a young woman from Madhya Pradesh who became famous due to her viral videos during the 2025 Maha Kumbh has been found to be a minor after an inquiry.
Citing the findings of an inquiry panel set up by the commission, local BJP leaders alleged that her interfaith marriage in Kerala last month was a case of "love Jihad", and sought legal action.
While the panel had submitted its report in March, ST commission chairman Antar Singh Arya confirmed its findings to the PTI on Friday.
A case for alleged kidnapping and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has already been registered against her husband, a Muslim man, at Maheshwar on the basis of the inquiry findings, police said.
The girl gained national fame after her videos while selling garlands and rudraksha at the Maha Kumbh went viral on social media and also earned her a role in a film.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes set up an inquiry panel after receiving a complaint on March 17 from Pratham Dubey, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, that she was a minor and was being exploited.
Maheshwar BJP MLA Rajkumar Mev and BJP mandal president Vikram Patel, armed with documents, told reporters on Friday that her marriage in Kerala was a case of "love Jihad" and she should be brought back home.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage to convert them to Islam.
Police said an investigation is underway, and further action would be taken accordingly.
The girl, who belongs to the nomadic Pardhi community, got married at a temple in Kerala in March. The interfaith marriage drew angry reactions from rightwing Hindu groups.
Her family members and film director Sanoj Mishra -- who had offered her a film role after she became famous -- too alleged that it was 'love Jihad'.
As per the inquiry conducted by the ST commission, records at the Maheshwar government hospital showed the woman's date of birth as December 30, 2009 which meant she was 16 years and two months old at the time of marriage, said Dubey, the complainant.
On a complaint filed by her father, police registered a case against the girl's husband at Maheshwar police station on March 25 for alleged kidnapping and under the POCSO Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police sources said that a separate case was also registered on March 24 under section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (taking a minor from lawful custody of guardian without their consent) based on the the commission's findings.
