MANUAL SCAVENGING IN INDIA: THE STORY OF UNEQUAL CITIZENS

The book is about the practice of manual scavenging in India which refers the daily work of manually cleaning and removing feaces from dry (non-flush) latrines across India. In India manual scavenging is a caste based occupation carried out by dalits. These communities are invariably placed at the bottom of caste hierarchy as well as dalit sub-caste hierarchy. Refusal to perform such task leads to physical abuse and social boycott.In Indian context the core feature of social exclusion is the denial of equal opportunities imposed by certain groups of the society upon others which leads inability of an individual to participate in basic political economic and social functioning of the society. Manual Scavengers in India who were caste based occupational groups constitute one such socially exclude class. Socially economically culturally and politically they were at the margin of the social hierarchy. They become totally conditioned to remain satisfied with their lifestyle.