It was launched as a statutory body; however, it has continued as a non-statutory body since 2004.
It was formed under the act called ‘National Commission for Safai Karamchari Act 1994.’
The NCSK Act ceased to have effect from 29th February, 2004.
After that the tenure of the NCSK has been extended as a non-statutory body from time to time through resolutions.
It studies and evaluates the existing welfare programmes for Safai Karamcharis, investigates cases of specific grievances etc.
Definition of Safai Karamchari – “Safai Karamchari means a person engaged in, or employed for any sanitation work and includes his/her dependants.”
The Supreme Court has asked for the government's response on a plea to fill four vacancies on the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, a body established in 1994 for the rights of sanitation workers.
The petitioner highlighted that despite a representation on June 9, urging appointments to the Commission, there has been no response from the government.
The Commission currently has vacant positions for four members out of the total six, apart from the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.
One of the key roles of the Commission is to assess the implementation of programs for the social and economic rehabilitation of safai karamcharis and scavengers.
The petitioner stressed the importance of the Commission's functioning in light of the ban on manual scavenging enacted in 2013.
It aims to uplift individuals and families who were once involved in this practice.
The Commission also played a significant role in executing a Supreme Court verdict from March 2014, which mandated compensation of ₹10 lakh to families of those who died during sewerage work since 1993.
COMMENTS