New Delhi: Pressure is building up to treat manual scavenging on a par with crimes against dalits, to be tried under the atrocities law which lays down stringent punishment. The union social justice ministry has asked the home ministry for details of cases filed by states for manual scavenging under the Prevention of Atrocities Act (POA Act), even asking it to take up the matter with chief ministers.

No conviction under the old law in 19 years, says minister. Not a single person has been convicted under the anti-manual scavenging law that the country passed 19 years ago. This admission was made by none other than Mukul Wasnik, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, at a national workshop on “Total eradication of manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers for their dignity” held here yesterday.

A Parliamentary panel has expressed concern over massive rejection of title deed claims of forest dwellers by the State Governments. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment tabled its report on ‘Implementation of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006’ in both Houses of Parliament after reviewing the Government rules for allocation of title deeds to forest dwellers.

A pilot survey has already been conducted in Amritsar, Imphal and Mumbai, will soon reach to other places.

For the first time, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) plans to conduct a nationwide survey to assess the extent of drug abuse in various parts of the country.