92% sanitation workers from SC, ST, OBC groups: Govt data

A TOTAL OF 57,758 SSWS HAVE BEEN SURVEYED, OF WHICH 54,574 HAVE BEEN VALIDATED ACROSS 33 STATES AND UTS, CENTRE SAID IN LOK SABHA

- Vrinda Tulsian

NEW DELHI: Two-thirds of sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) in urban local bodies across India, surveyed by the Union government, come from Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, the Centre informed Parliament on Tuesday. The number of workers collectively belonging to the SC, Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups stands at 92%, the ministry of social justice and empowerment said in its written reply in the Lok Sabha.

The ministry said that a total of 57,758 SSWs were profiled in the country, of which 54,574 were validated across 33 states and Union territories (UTs).