a sociological study of sanitary workers in municipal corporation with special reference at mc amloh fatehgarh sahib

Abstract

newline Man has been trying to keep his surroundings clean from ancient times. Later cleanliness newlinedeveloped as an important value in most of the societies. To live upto this value, several newlineinstitutions and practices have been created. The dustbins, toilets, urinals got created in the newlineprocess. Similarly, sweeping at public places gradually emerged as a common practice. Since newlinethis work involves health and hazardous risks, not everyone preferred to be in the class of newlinesweepers and manhole cleaners. Today,the sanitation workers engaged in this cleanliness task newlineare facing many socioeconomic challenges and are often found working in inhuman newlineconditions. The present study tries to fill in the gap in existing literature in sociology where newlinethe working conditions, social status and perceptions of this class are less studied. Sanitation newlineThe word sanitation is derived from a Latin source sanitat which means health and newlinesoundness of body and mind. Similarly, the Hindi word Swachhata is a retrenchment of a newlineSanskrit word Shuchita which has a still deeper meaning. It means sanctity of body and newlinemind. The advancement of science and technology led to the awareness regarding clean newlineenvironment and the health status of individuals. This quest later led to the development of newlineseveral institutional practices for keeping the surroundings clean. The ambit of sanitation newlinetoday includes besides the clean water and clean air, the disposal of human excreta and the newlineindustrial wastes. In this way the primary objective of sanitation is to ensure healthy living newlinesurroundings for every person. In the Indian context, it aims to make the country open newlinedefecations free.