Fri Feb 07 17:09:27 UTC 2025: **Government Extends National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Tenure**

**New Delhi, February 7, 2025** – The Union Cabinet has approved a three-year extension for the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK), granting the body continued operation until 2028. This decision comes with a financial allocation of ₹50.91 crore. The NCSK, which falls under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, works to implement laws prohibiting manual scavenging and improve the lives of sanitation workers.

NCSK Chairperson M. Venkatesan welcomed the extension, stating it will allow the commission to continue its crucial work. However, he emphasized the urgent need for the NCSK to be granted statutory status, giving it greater authority and enforcement power. He cited ongoing staff shortages as a further challenge.

The commission’s mandate includes implementing the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, recommending upliftment programs, investigating grievances, and monitoring working conditions for sanitation workers. While originally established as a statutory body in 1994, its legal standing lapsed in 2004, requiring repeated extensions since then. The government’s commitment to ending manual scavenging and sewer deaths was acknowledged, but Mr. Venkatesan stressed the importance of statutory status to fully achieve this goal.

Read More