A very big thank yu to rediffmail.com for this piece on scavengers by the sri LC Jain, one of the few living great freedom fighters and a former member of planing comission.As a society we are shameless, narrowminded,selfcentered and inhuman to our own indian brothers and sisters who do scavenging to earn a living.The lip sympathy of the govt.,politicians,buraeucrats shouldnot surprise us.We are intoxicated with the euphoria of 9% growth,cricketing fame,software riches,massive forign exchange piles ,global accolades about our achievements like democracy,economy,freepress etc.The middle class has no time for the unfortunate brothern of scavengers,govt.,muncipalities are dead corrupt and inefficient.Then who will show salvation to these unfortunate people who have equal rights like all of us.Good NGOs,consentious people like LC Jain can lead from front.The govt.should make manual scavenging illegal and make them stop this work,shift them to some respectable jobs after giving good vocational training.Then people will be forced to build dry septic toilets on their own because self interest drives the socity and the economy with vigour.
