'Swachkar samaj' to get priority in appointments of cleanliness workers

In a bid to shun the manual scavenging, Centre would give priority to people of the "swachkar samaj" in appointments of "safai karmis" in its departments and ministries, Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said.

"Central government will give priority to members of the swachkar samaj for appointing as safai karmis in its ministries," the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment said while addressing a conference here.

Thanking the Uttar Pradesh government for conducting a survey for identifying those still involved in manual scavenging, Gehlot said "it is against humanity...". 

He further said that people should also have awareness regarding cleanliness in the minds and hearts... the entire country is involved in the swachh Bharat campaign for fulfilling the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Uttar Pradesh's Social Welfare Minister Avdhesh Prasad said people of "swachkar samaj" should get priority in recruitment as "safai karmis". "They should have a guarantee of employment so that they can shun manual scavenging," Prasad added.