Ch-6 Untouchability and the Law on Manual Scavenging

II. 1. Untouchability is a practice of discrimination against people born

into a particular caste.
2. Article 17 of the constitution declares that the practice of
untouchability has been completely banned and its practise in any form
is prohibited. But in real life more is yet to be done.
3. Manual Scavengers are the persons who carry human excreta in
baskets on their heads to dispose it off at some distant place.
III. 1. Efforts are being made to end this evil and inhumane practice.
There are provisions regarding this in the Indian constitution which are
helpful in discouraging the practice of manual scavenging. For example:
(a) The Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes Act, 1989.
(b) Bonded Labour System Act 1976
(c) Some social organisations, NGO's, human right activists and social
reformers forced the government to enact Manual Scavengers of
Latrines Prohibition Act 1993 which punishes the employment of
scavengers with imprisonment for upto one year or a fine upto
2000.

2. Article 15 of the constitution states that no citizen shall be

discriminated against on the basis of caste, creed, sex or religion.
3. It is the result of prevailing illiteracy, ignorance and low self-esteem
among the class of manual scavengers. The social setup is also to be
blamed. Neither the society nor the government at the local level took
active and effective measures to eradicate this derogatory practice of
our society.
IV. 1. There are provisions in the constitution regarding abolishment of
untouchability. Constitutional measures to abolish untoucha- bility are:
(i) Article 15 states that no citizen shall be discriminated against
on the basis of caste, creed, colour, sex and religion.
(ii) Article 17 of the constitution declares that the practise of
untouchability in any form is a punishable offence.
2. Social reformers like Swami Vivekananda, Jyotiba Phule, Mahatma
Gandhi and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar tried their best to abolish the evil social
practice of untouchability.
• Swami Vivekananda condemned caste system and urged the
countrymen to look for the upliftment of the poor.
• Jyotiba Phule founded an organisation called Satya Shodhak Samaj in
1873 to work for the upliftment of the poor and dalits.
• Mahatma Gandhi tried practically by mixing with the so-called
untouchables. He called them Harijans, emphasising that these people
are our brothers.
• Dr. B. R. Ambedkar tried to abolish the inhumane tradition by
making constitutional provisions.
3. Untouchability can be completely eradicated through education.
'Everyone for every work,' based on their ability should be considered.
People should change their attitude against this evil and support socially
backward people and should help in their upliftment.