Karnataka govt to roll out Rs 1000 crore rehabilitation project for 7,483 manual scavengers: Report
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Social Welfare Department is likely to roll out a Rs 1,000-crore one-time rehabilitation project aimed at providing housing and dignified livelihoods to all 7,483 identified manual scavengers in the state, marking one of the largest state-led initiatives to eradicate the practice, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa mentioned that the state government is committed to permanently rehabilitating all identified manual scavengers by offering them housing, sustainable livelihoods, and access to social protection schemes.
“The project is in its early stages of formulation, and we are holding consultations to understand the best way forward,” TNIE quoted the minister as saying. He reiterated that the goal is to ensure manual scavengers can lead a dignified life and emphasised that the government aims to provide housing for all of them simultaneously, rather than implementing the project in phases where some may have to wait.
The government wants to complete the project by November 26, 2026, to mark Constitution Day, TNIE report quoted its sources as saying.
A senior official stated that the department has initiated discussions with the Housing Department and is considering three plans for rehabilitation. The first plan involves constructing houses for families of manual scavengers who already own plots. The second plan includes those without land, with the department planning a group housing scheme in rural areas where land will be identified to build homes for groups of four to five families. The third plan focuses on group housing in urban areas, with the department searching for land near Metro stations or other accessible locations.
All three options are under consideration, and a survey will be conducted to assess the number of families and estimate the costs, as the construction expenses will vary depending on the model.
Of the 7,483 identified manual scavengers, 1,625 are within the BBMP limits, followed by 1,381 in Mysuru and 1,224 in Kolar. In contrast, Vijayapura and Bagalkot have no recorded manual scavengers.
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India has agreed already to drop its tariffs to nothing: President Trump
New York/Washington, May 7 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said India has “agreed” to drop its high tariffs “to nothing”.
“I mean, India as an example, has one of the highest tariffs in the world. We’re not going to put up with that, and they’ve agreed already to drop it. They’ll drop it to nothing. They’ve already agreed. They would have never done that for anybody else but me,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to reporters as they met in the Oval Office to discuss the US-Canada trade.
“So we’re going to put down some numbers and we’re going to say our country is open for business and they’re going to come in and they’re going to pay for the privilege of being able to shop in the United States of America. It’s very simple. It’s very simple,” he added.
In the past, Trump has called India “tariff king” and a “big abuser”.
Last month, Trump had said that negotiations with India over a bilateral trade deal are “coming along great” and he thinks “we’ll have a deal with India”.
