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In force

The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013

39 sections · As amended up to 2026-08

Sections

  1. I — PRELIMINARY
  2. 1The words "except the State of Jammu and Kashmir" omitted by Act 34 of 2019, s. 95 and the Fifth Schedule (w.e.f. 31-10-2019)
  3. 26th December, 2013, v ide notification No. S.O. 2989(E), dated 1st October, 2013, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Sec. 3(ii)
  4. 3Act to have overriding effect
  5. II — IDENTIFICATION OF INSANITARY LATRINES
  6. 4Local authorities to survey insanitary latrines and provide sanitary community latrines
  7. III — PROHIBITION OF INSANITARY LATRINES AND EMPLOYMENT AND ENGAGEMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGER
  8. 5Prohibition of insanitary latrines and employment and engagement of manual scavenger
  9. 6Contract, agreement, etc., to be void
  10. 7Prohibition of persons from engagement or employment for hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks
  11. 8Penalty for contravention of section 5 or section 6
  12. 9Penalty for contravention of section 7
  13. 10Limitation of prosecution
  14. IV — IDENTIFICATION OF MANUAL SCAVENGERS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS AND THEIR REHABILITATION
  15. 11Survey of manual scavengers in urban areas by Municipalities
  16. 12Application by an urban manual scavenger for identification
  17. 13Rehabilitation of persons identified as manual scavengers by a Municipality
  18. 14Survey of manual scavengers in rural areas by Panchayats
  19. 15Application by a rural manual scavenger for identification
  20. 16Rehabilitation of persons identified as manual scavengers by a Panchayat
  21. V — IMPLEMENTING AUTHORITIES
  22. 17Responsibility of local authorities to ensure elimination of insanitary latrines
  23. 18Authorities who may be specified for implementing provisions of this Act
  24. 19Duty of District Magistrate and authorised officers
  25. 20Appointment of inspectors and their powers
  26. VI — PROCEDURE FOR TRIAL
  27. 21Offences to be tried by Executive Magistrate
  28. 22Offence to be cognizable and non-bailable
  29. 23Offences by companies
  30. VII — VIGILANCE COMMITTEES
  31. 24Vigilance Committees
  32. 25Functions of Vigilance Committee
  33. 26State Monitoring Committee
  34. 27Functions of the State Monitoring Committee
  35. 28Duty of States or Union territories to send periodic reports to the Central Government
  36. 29Central Monitoring Committee
  37. 30Functions of the Central Monitoring Committee
  38. 31Functions of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis
  39. 32Power of State Government to designate an appropriate authority to monitor the implementation of this Act
  40. VIII — MISCELLANEOUS
  41. 33Duty of local authorities and other agencies to use modern technology for cleaning of sewers, etc
  42. 34Protection of action taken in good faith
  43. 35Jurisdiction of civil courts barred
  44. 36Power of appropriate Government to make rules
  45. 37Power of Central Government to make model rules
  46. 38Power to remove difficulties
  47. 39Power to exempt