CURATED BY – GAURAV SINGHAL | CITYCHIEFNEWS

Saharanpur, Member Central Monitoring Committee, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India Bhagwat Prasad Makwana held a review meeting with officials in the Circuit House Auditorium regarding the implementation and compliance of Manual Scavengers Act 2013 in the district. The member said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, the country and the state government are rehabilitating the scavengers engaged in cleaning work by running beneficial schemes for them. He directed that their condition should be improved by getting development work done on priority in the settlements of scavengers. For the rehabilitation of scavengers, loans should be distributed by organizing as many camps as possible in the settlements of scavengers. By providing training to scavengers, scavengers should be trained through Skill Development Mission and other schemes and employed at the local level in various commercial and industrial establishments. He directed to organize health camps from time to time in the settlements of scavengers. He said that all the officers should be sensitive in providing the benefits of government run schemes to the scavengers otherwise appropriate action will be taken. He directed the concerned officer to provide lump sum grant amount to 2811 selected beneficiaries of the district under Manual Scavengers Act 2013. Shri Bhagwat told that as per the instructions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, provision has been made to give 30 lakh compensation to the dependents of scavengers who died while working in the sewer. Such dependents of the deceased should be identified in the district and benefitted from the scheme. He said that to resolve the problems of scavengers, a district level monitoring committee has been formed in the district as per Manual Scavengers Act 2013 so that their problems can be resolved at the local level itself. The concerned officers of the district should ensure effective implementation through the monitoring committee. He directed that in the survey to be conducted in the district, the officers, committee members and officials of various organizations should cooperate with each other and include as many eligible persons as possible and benefit them from the scheme. He took information about the salary payment, EPF, ESI and weekly leave of the sanitation workers deployed in the municipal bodies through outsourcing, contract and other means in the district and directed that no worker should be exploited. He directed that identity cards should be provided to all the cleaners. He said that if any irregularity is found in the payment and facilities provided to the cleaners as per the rules at any level, then strict action will be taken against the concerned. He said that it should be ensured that the outsourced and contract workers working on the posts of cleaners and other posts get the minimum honorarium prescribed by the government. At the end of the meeting, District Magistrate Dr. Dinesh Chandra assured the Hon'ble member and said that the instructions given by him will be followed to the letter. On this occasion, Senior Superintendent of Police Dr. Vipin Tada, Chief Development Officer Sumit Rajesh Mahajan, District Level Committee members Bharat Bhushan, Rakesh Kalyan and Mrs. Renu Devi, SP City Abhimanyu Manglik, City Magistrate Gajendra Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Yadav, DPRO Alok Sharma along with Vinod Ghavari, David Dhingia, Hansraj Gautam and officers of the concerned departments were present.