BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI : The Central government has claimed to have prepared a detailed action plan to eradicate manual scavenging, Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot has said.

Speaking at a national workshop-cum-exhibition on sustainable sanitation in New Delhi, Mr Gehlot said the Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment, Housing and Urban Affairs, Rural Development and Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation have prepared the action plan.

"The detailed action plan envisages identification of appropriate technological interventions in the field of mechanized cleaning so as to eliminate manual entry into sewers and septic tanks," the minister said.

"Swachh Bharat is indeed the first step of India towards Swasth Bharat," he said.

Mr Gehlot further said that through National Safai Karmacharis Finance and Development Corporation, the formal integration of sanitation workers is being done through disbursement of grants, provision of loans and livelihood training programmes.

Union Minister for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri said, “Our ministry has made efforts to devise schemes, processes and technologies for mechanical cleaning of sewer and septic tanks.”