In a bid to end manual scavenging, the Hyderabad water utility has launched an initiative to turn the labourers involved in this practice into entrepreneurs. The Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board has tied up with the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) to create at least 5,000 ‘sanitary soldiers’.

Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao has flagged of 70 Mini Sewer Getting Machines here on Monday, marking the World Environment Day.

Each machine costs ₹26 lakh. The State Bank of India gave a term loan, while the new breed of entrepreneurs invested ₹6 lakh each to own the vehicle, specially designed for the work. The vehicles are designed, factoring in the narrow lanes and by-lanes in the twin cities. The entrepreneurs, who will be operating the machines, would be given Bacteria-Free dresses.

“We invited tenders worth ₹20 crore from manufacturers, authorized dealers and owners of sewer cleaning machines complying with pollution standards for taking up desilting works in the city. The introduction of these vehicles marks the completion of tender process,” he said.

“Manual scavenging is very dangerous for the workers. We should eliminate it totally from the state. Dalit entrepreneurs must use capital to fight caste,” K T Rama Rao after flagging off the vehicles.

“Through this initiative, we have created 70 Sanitary Soldiers. Our aim is to create another 5,000 Sanitary Enterpreneurs or Soldiers in the next one year across the country. Nearly 1,300 manual scavengers died in the last three years across the country,” Milind Kamble, Founder of DICCI, has said.

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