Aiming to eliminate manual scavenging in Telangana through technology, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) today deployed 70 mini jetting machines in the city.
Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao, who flagged off these machines at an event here, said the state government, as part of its 'Swachh Telangana' programme, has adopted technology to end manual scavenging.
"Improving the working and living conditions of scavengers has been the priority for the government," Rao said, adding that he would see to it that manual scavenging ceases to exist in state.
HMWS&SB, in association with the DICCI, (Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) inducted the 70 mini jetting machines at a cost of Rs 20 crore and the machines were handed over to the 'scavenging labour turned entrepreneurs'.
"It is an initiative conceptualised to transform manual scavengers to entrepreneurs. This move enables the elimination of manual scavenging and convert labour into an entrepreneur," DICCI Founder Milind Kamble said.
"Through this initiative, we have created 70 sanitary soldiers, who have been provided with 'bacteria-free uniforms' which is done first time in India. Our aim is to create another 5,000 sanitary entrepreneurs or soldiers in the next one year across the country," he said, adding that nearly 1300 manual scavengers died in the last three years across the country.
According to HMWS&SB officials, each machine costs Rs 26 lakh. While the SBI has given a term loan of Rs 20 lakh per machine, entrepreneurs have invested about Rs 6 lakhs each.
The mini vehicles can have easy access to the narrow lanes and smaller colonies to clear the choked sewer pipes (drainages).
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