A look at the law that does not work and the lives at stake. 4 hours ago In 27 years till 2020, 1,013 persons died while working as manual scavengers in India. | Chandan Khanna / AFP
In September 2020, on the eve of the monsoon session of Parliament, a news agency reported that the government was proposing to introduce a new bill that would strengthen the law against manual scavenging. The new Bill proposed “to completely mechanise sewer cleaning and provide better protection at work and compensation in case of accidents’’.
The aim appeared laudable, but the Bill had been drafted without any discussion with those involved.