Fellowships on Sanitation Workers’ Safety, Well-being, and Dignity
Application closes on 15th March 2022
Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI)
ASCI is a leading policy think tank and a premier institution providing training, research, and consultancy services since 1956. It has established a strong presence in urban governance, environment, and infrastructure development, with sanitation, faecal sludge and septage management, solid waste management, behaviour change communication as critical focus areas. ASCI has been a key participant in developing the National Urban Sanitation Policy, National Policy on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management, National Urban Water Supply and Management Policy (draft), among other initiatives. It also provides technical knowledge and implementation support to several cities and state governments in advancing a safely managed sanitation agenda. ASCI is also promoting citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) programs in Indian cities.
About the Fellowship
The Constitution of India assures the right to life and the right to live with dignity as implicit in the fundamental rights. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (M.S. Act, 2013) prohibits any forms of manual handling of excreta and hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. Despite the M.S. Act, 2013 accidents continue to occur among the sanitation workers associated with desludging septic tanks and pit latrines, resulting in high mortality and morbidity. Different state governments have introduced various programs to address the issues. Some cities have initiated mechanization and innovations, behaviour change communication programs, effective contract design, better wages and entrepreneurship, design thinking in PPE, and gender mainstreaming. However, systematic documentation of the programs, policies, state-level strategies, and best practices is required to provide a strategic direction for future interventions.
ASCI is pleased to offer Fellowships in the area of sanitation workers’ safety, wellbeing, and dignity. Fellowships provide opportunities to talented professionals passionate about the safety and well-being of high-risk sanitation workers a chance to promote appropriate policies and strategies, mechanization & innovations to eliminate hazardous waste handling, and enabling entrepreneurship, to ensure the wellbeing and dignity of the sanitation workers and their families. The Fellowship aims to develop practical knowledge, based on desk and action research. Fellows will get an opportunity to pilot new ideas and support States/cities in the implementation efforts. The Fellowship is a one-year, full-time, multi-disciplinary program based in Hyderabad. The job involves extensive travel in A.P and Telangana.
Indicative Areas of work in the Fellowship
- Critically analyse the national and state policies and guidelines for the safety, well-being, and dignity of sanitation workers.
- Prepare tools for the identification of the formal and informal high-risk sanitation workers.
- Identify innovations and mechanized solutions and support in piloting.
- Evaluate PPE usage, gaps, and potential solutions
- Analyse gender concerns among sanitation workers
- Prepare advocacy and educational materials to promote safety and wellbeing.
- Develop capacity-building modules
- Capture the best practices in implementation.
Important Dates
Application Deadline – March 15, 2022
Written test – Last week of March 2022
Interviews –First week of April 2022
Date for the Final List of Candidates – 20, April 2022
Applicants shall send the completed applications to asciceugid@gmail.com
