The Manual Scavenging Act of 2013 and various judgements of Hon'ble Supreme Court expressly prohibit hazardous cleaning, i.e. manual entry into a septic tank or sewer without protective gear and observing operating procedures. Despite this, recurring episodes of human fatalities (240 deaths in the last three years alone) among those engaged in cleaning of septic tanks and sewers, typically belonging to the economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities of our society, continue to be an issue of concern.

Given that the mandate of Government of lndia is to ensure safety and well-being of every citizen, it is proposed to conduct a National Competition titled "Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge' (City Challenge on Manhole to Machine hole Transformation) to encourage more cities and towns to adopt Mechanized Cleaning of Sewers and Septic Tanks as a practice, and act as a Lighthouse for other smaller cities in this regard.

The National Challenge, which will be open to all registered Municipal Corporations, Smart Cities, and State / UT Capitals, will have the following Award Categories for Best performing cities:

It is also proposed that each State / UT should develop two lighthouse cities, one each in population category of (i) 1- 3lakhs, and (ii) 3lakhs and above. The Lighthouse cities developed by the State/UT would be included in the State ranking criteria.

Also in view of the above the Government of India has launched the national toll free number of 14420 where citizens can register complaints regarding practicing of manual cleaning of septic tanks and sewers in Guwahati city.