The Big Picture - Stop Manual Scavenging

With an aim of eliminating human entry into septic tanks and drains for cleaning, the ministry of housing and urban affairs has launched a 'technology challenge' seeking suitable solutions from individuals and NGOs. According to the ministry, the initiative is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently expressed a desire for a challenge to promote latest technologies to avoid human intervention in cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in the country. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has asked ministry officials to work out modalities of the challenge. The ministry said that identification of technological as well as business innovations are among the objectives that have been flagged. Meanwhile, three labourers died cleaning a sewage treatment plant in Loni, Ghaziabad, on Sunday. The deaths were allegedly caused by poisonous gas in the plant. On this edition of ‘The Big Picture’ we discuss how to deal the problem of manual scavenging.

Guests - Bezawada Wilson, National Convener of Safai Karmachari Andolan,
Sudhir Krishna, Former Union Secy. Urban Development,
Dr. P.S.N. Rao, Director, School of Planning and Architecture,
Arun George, Co Founder, Genrobotic Innovations Pvt Ltd,

Anchor - Frank Rausan Pereira