NAMASTE Project for manual scavengers

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is currently getting ready to conduct a statewide survey to count all people involved in dangerous sewer and septic tank cleaning, a practice that has resulted in at least 351 fatalities since 2017.

About NAMASTE Project

• The National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem of the Union government includes an enumeration effort that will shortly be carried out throughout 500 AMRUT cities (NAMASTE).
• The Self-Employment Scheme for the Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS), which was established in 2007, will eventually be merged with it and replaced. It will streamline the rehabilitation procedure for sanitation employees.
• The MoSJ&E and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs are working together on the NAMASTE program, which aims to end dangerous septic tank and sewer cleaning procedures.
• Benefits under the program include interest subsidies on loans, where the government would pay the remaining interest and recipients' interest rates will be regulated at 4-6%, as well as capital subsidies of up to 5 lakh on sanitation equipment costing up to 15 lakh.
• The plan also calls for training the workers to operate these devices, at which time they will get a stipend of up to $3,000 per month.
• The program will also allow sanitation workers to train for and enter any of the alternative vocations on the approved list in industries including agriculture, services, electronics assembly, handicrafts, and so forth.

Concerns associated with manual scavenging

• A subset of the Dalits, an outcast society commonly referred to as "untouchables" inside India's antiquated caste hierarchy, are mostly responsible for scavenging.
• "Untouchables" are frequently food insecure, rejected by society, and not even allowed to touch other castes of Indians or their food.
• Parts of India still have scavenging, mostly because of social prejudice and official disinterest.
• In the urban policies created for the city by the state and private businesses, there is no planning at all for the upkeep of sewage, septic tanks, and waste disposal systems.
• Over the past few years, there has been an upsurge in the frequency of fatalities related to septic tank and sewer cleaning.

Government Measures to Tackle Manual Scavenging

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act of 1993.

• Pushing someone into manual scavenging was punishable by up to a year in prison and a Rs 2,000 fine.

Self-Employment Scheme for Manual Scavengers' 2017 Rehabilitation (SRMS);

• With the aim of rehabilitating remaining manual scavengers and their dependents in alternative vocations in a time-bound manner, it is a successor program to the National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers and Their Dependents.

Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013;

• Any manual cleaning, carrying, discarding, or handling of human waste was prohibited by the Act.
• According to the law, the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) would oversee the law's implementation and investigate complaints alleging that its terms have been broken.

2020 Amendment Bill

• The proposed legislation would fully automate sewer cleaning, include measures for "on-site" safety, and compensate manual scavengers in the event of sewer fatalities.
• Additionally, it will outlaw hiring workers to perform manual scavenging without safety equipment.

National Safai Karamcharis Commission;

• The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993, an Act of Parliament, established it as a statutory body in 1994 for a term of three years, or up to March 31, 1997.

Rehabilitation Program for Manual Scavengers;

• Except for one component, SRMS includes a one-time cash transfer of 40,000.

Mobile Swachhta app;

• More manual scavengers have been targeted in several ways, including via the Swachhta mobile app.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has given the Center a number of suggestions to halt manual scavenging, including:

• The Center should lend the family members of manual scavengers Rs. 10 lakh so they can establish a business.

Sewer deaths should be tracked by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its reports.

• The NHRC suggested creating a new regulation for hazardous cleaning or broadening the definition of manual scavenging to include other types of cleaning that pose a risk.

Supreme Court Instructions:

• In 2014, the Supreme Court gave instructions on how to stop and restrict the practice as well as how to prosecute those who engage in it.
• Additionally, it ordered the government to compensate the families of those who died in manual scavenging incidents since 1993 with a sum of Rs. 10 lakh.

Constitutional Protections

• The Fundamental Rights guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution include the right to live in dignity.
• On the other hand, Article 46 of the Constitution mandates that the State shall defend the weaker groups, in particular, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, against social injustice and all types of exploitation.

Way forward

• Manual scavenging is no longer practised in the nation since every single manual scavenger has been identified and engaged in the rehabilitation program.
• Swachhta Udyami Yojana: Eventually, the plan is to connect these sanitation workers to Swachhta Udyami Yojana, where the employees will be able to purchase their own sanitation equipment and the government will oversee it at the municipal level.
• The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should prioritize expanding the sewer network and develop a plan for scientific maintenance that will replace manual septic tank cleaning.
• To completely end hand scavenging, the laws should be strictly enforced.
• There should be trials and testing of safety equipment as well as provisions for better healthcare facilities, insurance coverage, pension schemes, and rules on educating manual scavengers in preventive and social medicine.

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All About Euthanasia

Recently, a Bengaluru lady went to the Delhi High Court to stop a friend's flight to Europe for euthanasia.

About

A petition submitted to the court claims that the man has had chronic fatigue syndrome since 2014 and that he intends to fly to Switzerland for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, both of which are not legal for non-terminally ill people in India.

"Complex, incapacitating, long-term neuroinflammatory disease" describes chronic fatigue syndrome.

Case of Aruna Shanbaug: The Supreme Court of India (SC) addressed the debate over euthanasia, and in 2018 it issued a ruling that made the right to a dignified death a component of the right to life under Article 21.

Only passive euthanasia is currently permitted in India by the Supreme Court.

About Euthanasia

Ancient Greek words: "Eu" for "good" and "thantos" for "death."

Euthanasia can be classified into two categories based on the method of dying:

Positive Euthanasia or Aggressive Euthanasia:

• Alludes to directly interfering with another person's life with the purpose to kill them. It is a direct action taken to put an end to a pointless life and existence.

• For instance, by administering fatal dosages of a medicine or a lethal injection. Active euthanasia is typically a quicker way to bring about death, and all forms are prohibited.

Negative or non-aggressive euthanasia:

• It is passive euthanasia. Failing to provide basic, routine care, food, and drink is purposefully causing death.
• It involves turning off, uninstalling, or taking away artificial life support systems.
• In general, passive euthanasia is slower and more uncomfortable than aggressive euthanasia.
• Euthanasia is lawful in the majority of voluntary, passive, and non-voluntary, passive situations.

Rights, Cases & Legality in India

• State of Maharashtra v. Maruti Shripati Dubal: Section 309 was invalidated and the right to life includes the freedom to die. In the matter of P. Rathinam v. Union of India, upheld by the SC.
• Gian Kaur v. the State of Punjab: Contravened to earlier positions; no legal euthanasia.
• Section 306 of the IPC outlines the penalties for assisting and abetting suicide.
• Distinguished euthanasia from suicide in Naresh Maratra Sakhee v. Union of India.

Why Euthanasia?

• End of Suffering: Euthanasia offers a solution to end a person's unbearably intense suffering. It spares those who are close to death from a protracted demise.
• Respecting Person's Choice: The goal of human life is to live a dignified life, and it is against the person's choice to make them live in an undignified manner. As a result, it expresses a person's decision, which is a key value.
• Providing care for others There is a paucity of money in many emerging and impoverished nations, including India. Hospital space is in short supply. Therefore, rather than sustaining the lives of individuals who desire to die, the energy of doctors and hospital beds might be used for those whose lives can be preserved.
• Death with Dignity: Article 21 of the Indian Constitution expressly guarantees the right to a dignified life. A person has the right to live with at least the bare minimum of dignity, and if that standard is not being met, that person should be granted the option to end his life.
• Addressing Mental Anguish: The intention is to assist rather than cause harm. It not only soothes the patient's excruciating pain but also spares the patient's loved ones from suffering psychologically.

Issues

• Medical ethics: Medical ethics prohibit patient killing and promote nursing, caregiving, and healing. Even the most fatal diseases are now treatable because of the rapid advancement of medical technology. Therefore, medical professionals must encourage patients to live their difficult lives with strength rather than urging them to end their lives.
• Moral Mistake: Morally and ethically, taking a life is wrong. Life has intrinsic value that cannot be discounted.
• Groups who advocate for disabled people are opposed to the legalization of euthanasia on the grounds that such vulnerable populations may feel compelled to choose euthanasia because they may view themselves as a burden to society. Vulnerable will become more susceptible to it.
• Euthanasia vs. Suicide: If euthanasia is prohibited, then suicide should be as well. When a person enters a depressive mood and loses all hope in life, they commit suicide. The situation when someone requests euthanasia is comparable. But by taking good care of these patients and having hope for them, this inclination might be diminished.
• X-Factor: Miracles do happen in our society, especially when it involves life and death; there are cases of people emerging from comas years after they were placed there, and we must never forget that hope is the foundation of all human existence.

Way forward

Such a propensity should be lessened by giving sufficient care and spreading optimism.

To relieve patients' suffering and loved ones' suffering is sometimes reasonable.

Active voluntary euthanasia must be avoided since it can make murder simple.

Also, Read - NAMASTE Project for manual scavengers

Garuda Shield as deterrence against Chinese Encroachment

On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the United States, Indonesia, and other nations are participating in joint military drills.

About

• Since 2009, Garuda Shield has been a yearly military exercise.
• The 2022 edition will be the biggest one due to the participation of numerous other nations, including Australia and Japan.
• A total of more than 5,000 personnel from the US, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, and Singapore are participating in this year's Super Garuda Shield exercises, making them the largest since they began in 2009. The expanded drills are seen by China as a threat.
• The United Kingdom, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor also sent observers to the exercises, which began early this month.
• The drills include those for the army, navy, air force, and marines.
• Its goal is to support a free and open Indo-Pacific by enhancing capability, interoperability, trust, and cooperation.

Implications

• Chinese has accused the US of building an Indo-Pacific alliance similar to NATO to limit China's growing military and diplomatic influence in the region.
• The 14 nations involved in the training are signalling their stronger ties as China grows increasingly assertive in claiming virtually the entire South China Sea and holds exercises threatening self-ruled Taiwan.
• China claimed part of Indonesia's exclusive economic zone in the northern region of the Natuna Islands. Jakarta has expressed concern about what it sees as Chinese encroachment in its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea
• Indonesia sees the current exercises with the US as a deterrent in defence of the Natuna Islands, the drills are part of efforts to forge a united front against China's military buildup in the South China Sea.

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