Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge

On November 19, 2020, Union Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri launched ‘Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge’ through a webinar. This challenge is to spread awareness about the issue of life hazards in cleaning septic tanks or sewers. This challenge will ensure mechanized cleaning thereby avoiding any person physically entering the septic tank/ sewer to clean it. About 243 cities across the country have participated in this challenge. Under this challenge the participating cities have to mechanize all their septic tank/ sewer cleaning processes by April 30, 2021. Assessment of the cities will be made in May 2021. Results will be declared by August 15, 2021. Prize money of this challenge will be awarded to all the winner cities thereby. The prize amount declared is Rs. 52 crores.

Overview:

List of scheme lunched by Central Government

Objectives and Benefits:

• The main objective of the scheme is to mechanize the cleaning process of septic tanks or servers
• It aims at protecting the lives of the septic tank/ server cleaners
• This initiative tends to mechanize the process to ensure proper safe cleaning
• This hazardous cleaning processes will thereby be stopped
• Through this challenge various cities will participate and public awareness at a huge scale can be made
• Prize winning amount will be awarded to the winning cities

Key Points:

• Central government has come up with a new initiative ‘Safai Mitra Challenge’ for mechanizing the cleaning process of septic tank/ sewer
• This challenge was launched by Union Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri on November 19, 2020 virtually
• The launch was made on the occasion of World Toilet Day.
• This challenge aims at protecting the lives of the septic tank/ sewer cleaners which majorly belong to economically backward category.
• Life hazards and deaths due to manual cleaning will be controlled
• About 243 cities across India participated in the challenge
• These cities accepted the challenge of thereby mechanizing the septic tank or sewer cleaning process
• This challenge will continue up to April 30, 2020
• Real time assessment will be conducted in the month of May, 2021
• Results of the challenge will be declared on August 15, 2020
• Cities will be awarded in 3 categories. Theses categories will be classified as per population
• The 3 categories are – cities with population more than 10 lakhs, with 3-10 lakhs and up to 3 lakhs
• Prize money allotted to all the winner cities is Rs. 52 crores irrespective of the category
• This initiative is in accordance with the Swachh Bharat Mission