When Meena decided to go to school, her mother identified one quite far from her home. Sharda was a manual scavenger and knew that her occupation could spell trouble for her daughter. Meena went to a government school and struggled to reach class VIII. But her ambition was cut short when teachers and the principal at the school made her life miserable after stumbling upon her mother’s identity.
Inevitably, Meena too ended up as a scavenger, got married and gave birth to a baby girl. But the infant was born with disabilities. An NGO persuaded her to leave the occupation and promised help. It was easier said than done. In the last six years, Meena and five other women scavengers have approached Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and other dignitaries. She also applied for a loan to the National Safai Karmachari Finance & Development Corporation, but is yet to get a loan.
Her story is hardly unique. Most of India’s four-five lakh manual scavengers—over 80 per cent of them women—have similar tales. But India continues to be in...
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