Question 58 from UPSC CSE 2016 - Polity and
Governance

Question

âRashtriya Garima Abhiyaanâ is a national campaign to

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and rehabilitate the manual scavengers

Strategy: Link the campaign's name, 'Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan' (National Dignity Campaign), to the practice that most severely violates human dignity. Manual scavenging is the correct answer as it is a known target of this campaign.

Key Info: The 'Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan' is a prominent national campaign initiated to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and ensure the rehabilitation of manual scavengers across India. It aims to restore dignity and provide comprehensive social, economic, political, and cultural rehabilitation to individuals, primarily women, historically engaged in this caste-based and dehumanizing occupation.

*   **Manual Scavenging:** This refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing, or handling human excreta in an insanitary latrine or open drain or pit. It is considered a deeply discriminatory practice, primarily affecting Dalits, particularly women, and is a grave violation of human rights.
*   **Legal Framework:** The practice of manual scavenging is prohibited by law in India. The **Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013**, was enacted to eliminate insanitary latrines, prohibit the employment of manual scavengers, and provide for the rehabilitation of those already engaged in the practice. This Act replaced the 1993 Act on the same subject.
*   **Objective of the Campaign:** Beyond prohibition, the 'Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan' focuses on liberation, social integration, and providing alternative livelihoods to manual scavengers, particularly women, to enable them to live with dignity and self-respect.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: rehabilitate the homeless and destitute persons and provide them with suitable sources of livelihood

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: release the sex workers from their practice and provide them with alternative sources of livelihood

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: release the bonded labourers from their bondage and rehabilitate them

âRashtriya Garima Abhiyaanâ is a national campaign to

âRashtriya Garima Abhiyaanâ is a national campaign to