Why in news
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment appointed a new Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and members to the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK).
Key terms
Manual Scavenger
A person engaged or employed for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or handling human excreta in an insanitary latrine or open drain.
What is the NCSK?
- Established in 1993 under the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993, as a statutory body to safeguard the welfare of sanitation workers.
- Lapsed as a statutory body in 2004 and currently functions as a non-statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, extended periodically via government resolutions.
Key Functions and Mandate
- Recommends specific programmes of action to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities, and opportunities for Safai Karamcharis.
- Monitors the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
- Inquires into specific grievances and non-implementation of welfare measures, taking suo motu notice of violations.
Why it matters
- Provides an institutional grievance redressal mechanism for vulnerable sanitation workers, though lacks binding judicial enforcement powers as a non-statutory body.
Prelims facts
- NCSK was originally established under the NCSK Act, 1993, but is currently a non-statutory body.
Mains discussion
- Evaluate the structural limitations of non-statutory oversight bodies in eradicating manual scavenging.
Source: PIB
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