43,797 identified manual scavengers, 42,594 belong to Scheduled Castes: Govt

The government has caste-related data of 43,797 identified manual scavengers, and over 42,500 of them belong to the Scheduled Castes, the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry said on Wednesday.

Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said 42,594 manual scavengers belong to the Scheduled Castes, 421 to the Scheduled Tribes and 431 to Other Backward Classes.

“As per the information provided by the identified manual scavengers, caste related data is available in respect of 43,797 manual scavengers,” Athawale said in a written reply.