In Pics: The Harsh Reality Of Manual Scavenging In India
Manual Scavenging in India was made illegal in 1993, but the practice continues to be India's shame to this day. Data from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment puts the number of manual scavengers in India at 7,70,338. Manual scavenging is not just derogatory and unsafe work, but remains a continuous reminder of the caste system which resulted in the profession of manual scavenging in the first place.
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Even the Indian Railways has indirectly employed manual scavengers to clean waste from railway tracks. Many such workers employed by municipal corporations often continue doing the same type of work without any betterment in terms of pay or work conditions.