Maharashtra Govt order on hereditary sanitation jobs for Scheduled Caste causes outrage

A Maharashtra government resolution on hereditary employment to sanitary workers from SC community has raised hackles over alleged use of a casteist word.

The Government resolution (GR) dated November 10 issued by the Social Justice department in Mumbai states that successors of employees belonging to scheduled castes involved in cleaning roads and lavatories will get similar job.

Leaders claimed that the word 'SC' has been used till now in GRs and objected to the use of a derogatory word for a scheduled caste community. They also demanded that these jobs should be open to all communities instead of particular castes.

The GR was issued after the Cabinet took a decision at its meeting held on September 16, 2015. At that time, a government statement had said that the policy of hereditary recruitment of sanitary workers would now be applied for the scheduled caste workers other than those belonging to Mehtar-Valmiki community also.

Condemning the use of language in the GR, Nitin Raut, Congress leader and former minister who hails from backward class, threatened to protest against the government if it is not withdrawn.

"The BJP government has deliberately taken such a decision as they do not want uplift of the backward class or that they join the mainstream," he said. "Banned words are deliberately used in the GR. It is not mentioned in the Indian Constitution that the specific community should be designated work of cleaning of the lavatory and others," he said. Raut said the post for cleaning work should be open for all communities instead of particular castes." People who need a job and are ready to accept cleaning work can join it," he added.

Amrut Gorule, president of Antyoday, an organisation instituted by late Congress leader Vasant Chavan, said Chavan was opposed to continuing reservation for Mehatar-Valmiki community to do cleaning works. Late Chavan was the member of committee which had submitted its report to the state which has been partially accepted by the government.

--PTI