Economic and Health Conditions of Scavengers Working in Nagercoil Municipality

In Indian caste system predominantly among Hindus, each caste is usually accompanying with a particular occupation. This occurrence is so prominent that one can say that caste is nothing more than the systematization of occupational differential. The study aims to study the economic conditions of the scavengers in the study area. To evaluate the health territory of the creation in the study area. To examine the problem faced by collectors. The present study is based on original data as well as supporting secondary data. The scope of the research is restricted to the scavengers working in the organized sector in Nagercoil Municipality. These people have been involved in two types of workers, namely permanent workers and contract works. A caste is working as a remover of night soil and the cleaner of latrines drainages and street. Based on the analysis, the research concludes. The permanent workers’ salary is higher than contract workers. The permanent worker’s job is secured and given all the benefits which are prescribed by the government. The contract workers do not enjoy the benefits of permanent workers.


Introduction
India, after its 68 years of our freedom, the caste system still succeeds. On the one side, we have reached the growth, but on the other hand, traditional practices continue to prevail. Even today a caste-based work is followed in India and the 'Dalit' communities are not getting a chance to live their life with self-respect and dignity. Therefore, these people remain backward in all aspects, such as education, livelihoods, job opportunities, etc. A significant attribute of the Indian caste system is that conscientious employment is connected with each caste. While higher ranks benefit from a wide range of choices in occupations. The corrupted jobs got associated with lower castes which include sweeping ways cleaning drains and swears, removal of human and animal waste, rawhide processing, raising of pigs, and the like. As most maximum towns and villages did not have flush latrines, sweepers were manually handling human excreta and carry it on their heads.

Definition of Manual Scavenging
"The manual deletion of human and animal excreta using sweepers, small tin plates, and baskets carried on the bead. The allocation of labor based on castes is one of the fundamental tenets of the Hindu caste system. Within this system, Dalits have been earmarked tasks and occupation which are deemed ritually polluting by other caste communities -such as full disposal of dead animals and leatherwork. Because of their birth, Dalits are considered to be "polluted," and the removal of human and animal waste by embers of the "sweeper" community is allocated to them and strictly enforced.

Dalit (Scavengers) Situation in India
The word troubled, feasibly, bears, in the nearest sense, the meeting of the word Dalit. I, however, would like to concentrate and confine my talk to the word Dalit being connected with those who are engaged in the profession of scavenging that is, manual cleaning of excreta of others. Before Freedom of our country, they were called outcasts. The reality of this class of people is peculiarly related to the Indian caste system, which even today prevails in India.
In the Indian caste system mostly among Hindus, each caste is traditionally associated with a particular occupation. This sensation is so arresting that one can say that caste is nothing more than the systematization of occupational differential. Some collectors are noted for their musical ability. They are also perfect music bandmasters and play o "Shehnai," a musical instrument. In their additional time, they make baskets, mats, weaving fans or sieves, etc. They also work as village domestics and agricultural laborers, watchman, drummers, trumpeters and town criers. Siddaramu B. (2013) revealed that a significant number still work in their traditional occupations. These earnings that scavengers are even vacuuming latrines by hand and carrying night soil in baskets on their heads. Such socio-economic conditions for hunters persist notwithstanding several articles in the Indian constitution, which stipulate that the state should promote the economic and educational interests of programmed castes and protect them from hatred and exploitation. Srivastava B.N. (1997) found out that a large number of sweepers, mostly from northern India, have abandoned Hindu religion and converted to other faiths, no significant change has come about in their occupation or social status.
Punalekar S.P. (1990) stated that internal awakening and consciousness is essential to the mobilization of a social group for its socio-economic improvement. He points out that it is only in recent years that some industries towards mobilization and conscientization have become visible among scavengers.
Mander (2008) argues that engaging manual scavengers to clear human excreta is punishable under the law. Many organizations, private and public, continue to do so. Manual scavengers themselves do not express out because of humiliation and fear of losing even this frequently insecure source of livelihood. In its place, they remain surrounded in a vicious cycle of intense stigma, segregation, poor health and education, destructive coping strategies like alcohol and drugs. Keseva and Gupta (1996) revealed that in hunters, being generally uneducated workers have very little knowledge on the possible outlets wherever they can sell the material at a better price, and they run the risk of exploitation by intermediaries who buy the equipment at approximately one-third of the regular price and sell to industry.

Objectives of the Study
• To study the economic conditions of the scavengers in the study area. • To assess the health status of the scavenger in the study area. • To examine the problem faced by the scavengers.

Hypotheses
There is a functional relationship between income and expenditure of both permanent and contract workers.

Collection of Data
The present study is based on original data as well as supporting secondary data.

Selection of Sample
The total scavengers of the study area are 301 in permanent workers and 258 contract workers. The study is limited to 30 percent of permanent workers and 30 percent of contract workers in 82 durable, 77 contract workers are selected. The researcher has personally interviewed all the respondents.

Scope of the Study
The range of the research is limited to the Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3471935 scavengers working in the organized sector in Nagercoil Municipality. These people have been interested in two types of workers, namely permanent workers and contract works. A caste is working as a remover of night soil and the cleaner of latrines drainages and street. All such workers in India are today covered under the general term scavenger. It is a common practice among the foragers to collect food from the house or area's where they indulge in work. They are living without proper dwellings, clothes, and food. They born in poverty live in poverty and die in poverty. They are not only financially needy but also socially outcaste this study brings the facts and figures about their economic and health conditions.

Medical Concession
The concession and health care cards can help to access cheaper health care services and medicines. It will be explained by the table 1.

Health Conditions
Health is a state of comprehensive physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The following table 2 explained good health. Source: Primary data.

Affected by any Diseases
A disease is an appropriate abnormal condition, a disorder of a structure or function that affects part or all of an organism. The disease is often characterized as a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. This will be accomplished with the help of table 3. Source: Primary data. Table 3 reveals that 3 (3.7 percent) of permanent workers are affected by some disease, 79 (96.3 percent) of stable and 100 percent of contract workers are not affected by conditions.

Accident during Work
The scavengers are working with garbage. The help of table 4 will explain this. Source: Primary data. Table 4 shows that none of them do meet any during working hours.

Statistical Analysis of Income and Expenditure of Permanent Workers
To obtain the ordinary least moderate judgment, the dependent variable expenditure (Y) is regressed linearly on the independent variable household income (X *Not significant at five percent level; R 2 = 0.097 The value of R square is 0.097, which is not significant at five percent level of probability. That indicates that 9.7 percent of the variation in household expenditure is decreased by income. The hypothesis there is a functional relationship between income and expenditure is rejected at five percent level of significance. That means that there is no significant between the income and expenditure of permanent workers due to spending more money to meet the day to day needs.

Statistical Analysis for Income and Expenditure of Contract Workers
To obtain the current increased limited modern estimations, the dependent variable household expenditure (Y) is regressed linearly on independent variable income (X1 *Not significant at five percent level; R 2 = 0.0306 The value of R square is 0.0306, which is not significant at five percent level of probability. Aforementioned indicates that 3.06 percent of the variation in household expenditure is supported by income. Hence the hypothesis there is a significant relationship between income and expenditure of the contract worker is rejected.

Conclusion
Based on the analysis, the research comes to the termination. The permanent workers' salary is higher than contract workers. The permanent worker's job is secured and given all the benefits which are prescribed by the government. The contract workers do not enjoy the benefits of permanent workers. Their socio-economic conditions are better than other meaner workers. Their expenditure pattern is almost similar even though the contract labor salary is lower than permanent workers.