CAG raps Centre on clean-up plan

The report charged the ministries of Urban Development and Social Justice Empowerment with a 8216;8216;casual8217;8217; approach and 8216;8216;not exchanging notes on their respective jobs 8212; conversion of dry latrines and rehabilitation of the safai karamcharis,8217;8217; as the scavengers are referred to in official texts.

According to the CAG report, in all these years, only 37,000 karamcharis have been weaned away from scavenging as against the targetted four lakh 8212; it is another reality that their population has grown to seven lakh. 8216;8216;There was no evidence to suggest if those liberated were in fact rehabilitated,8217;8217; the CAG report says.

Now, the Urban Affairs Ministry finds itself in the driver8217;s seat of a scheme where it has to begin afresh. 8216;8216;We need to go in for a national census of the safai karamcharis,8217;8217; says a consultant from the national task force set up by the PMO to monitor the scheme.