Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah warns of strict legal action over manual scavenging

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that manual scavenging is not allowed in the state for any reason and warned that strict legal action would be taken in cases were humans were made to do the undignified and dangerous labour.

Speaking after inaugurating a conference on the rehabilitation of manual scavengers and the distribution of welfare in this regard, Siddaramaiah said manual scavenging violates the dignity of the workers.

"It is our party's and government’s commitment that civic workers should live with dignity. Therefore, I raised the salary of Safai Karmacharis (sanitation workers) from Rs 7,000 to Rs 17,000 immediately after becoming chief minister for the first time," he said.

Reminding the gathering that the Congress government has implemented a scheme providing Rs 7.5 lakh assistance to build houses for construction workers, he also added, "Manual scavenging is not allowed in the state for any reason. Legal action will be taken if anyone practices it."