Development Communication
Development Communication is basically the use of communication to acquire or to achieve social development. It engages the stakeholders and policymakers. It creates a positive environment to evaluate the opportunities and a risk related to it through information swap and creates a better society. It includes various techniques like media advocacy, communication for social change, education, and social mobilization.
Manual Scavenging
Manual Scavenging is the practice of removing human excrement from the public streets and dry latrines and cleaning septic tanks and sewers. Such an inhumane survival practice was prohibited in India 27 years ago. But, unfortunately, it is still prevalent in India. There are various laws like the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Prohibition Act, 1993 along with The National Commission for SafaiKarmchari Act, 1993. The central government enacted another act on September 18, 2013, called The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers. These and many other acts are to stop the practice of manual scavenging and to safeguard and rehabilitate these people. These people practicing manual Scavenging are basically people from the lower castes like the Dalits and Valmiki community. Even though the practice of Untouchability is prohibited under Article 17 of the Indian Constitution, these people are discriminated within every way by the rest of the society. Furthermore, despite stringent provisions in the law, manual scavenging continues unabated in India. Recently, 2019 saw the highest number of manual scavenging deaths in the past five years.
According to a national survey conducted in 2018, a total of 48,345 scavengers have been identified till January 25, 2020. As per data collected in 2018, 29,923 people are endangered in manual scavenging in Uttar Pradesh making it the highest in any state. It’s not like that the country has no technology to use as an alternative for the job. The state of Kerela has invented a robot known as “Bandicoot” which can switch clean but despite this piece of technology human intervention in the process still continues. The government of India should make this technology available all over the country so that no human being should endure such an inhumane job. Even if there must be a level of human intervention in this job there should be procedures and precautions like Hazmat suits which must be worn by the person at all times. But, unfortunately even these minimum measures for safety are not received by these people.
Aspect of Media
Media have always provided support for the betterment and development of this community by highlighting their problems and suffering to the world and to the stakeholder i.e., the government. Various media houses like The Hindu, The Print, etc have various efforts like The Hindu have made a video story over the deaths and pathetic plight of these people. Similarly, there are Documentaries made by ScoopWhoop Unscripted, and BBC on the kind of daily life they carry out. There are even films and documentaries like “Kakkos” by DivyaBharati and “Rest in Manhole” by Johnny walker who has influenced many and disseminated awareness among the people about this social crisis. A reporter from “The print” asked some people from the Valmiki community as to why they don’t choose another profession? To that one replied that they have tried to open shops and dairy products but most of the people don’t take goods and services from them. This shows that it’s not that they don’t want to get out of that miserable profession but they are pushed and made to stick in that profession. They don’t need charity, what they need is support and respect from the rest of the community i.e. us.
We need to welcome them and accept them as any other human being in this society and we can see this country triumph wonders with all of the joint efforts. For instance, the SafaiKarmchariAndolan conducted a protest in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi against the death of manual scavengings and for proper rehabilitation of their families where NGOs like Phia, SKA, students from Delhi University, JNU, members of the deceased families, and even people from different states came to show their support towards the protest. For example, Sanjay Kumar a man from Rajasthan came to Delhi for the protest which shows that the approach for this social upliftment is also heard across the country.
Apart from that, we all know how much this community can enjoy the right to education. Even though there are provisions of scholarships that enable them to pursue education. This type of one-time measure cannot aid them much. It takes all the members to contribute to the sustainability of the family. But there are some personalities like Bezwada Willson and Sunil Yadav who have succeeded in making a separate identity for themselves even after bounded by similar circumstances. These exceptions inspire and motivate others to dream too. The plight of these people puts this country to shame because there is no way a country would be called successful under such circumstances. But this is not a job alone for the government but a cooperative effort to change the mentality of the people and create a society where the citizens can breathe and walk with confidence each claiming to be a proud citizen of the country. Only with such features can this country achieve new heights of development.