Paper Title
Cultural Justifications for Caste-Based Labour: Understanding the Social Endurance of Manual Scavenging

Abstract
“Manual scavenging” is a caste-oriented labour and also a subject of ages long socio-cultural discrimination as a dehumanising profession. A shocking majority of workers in the line of manual scavenging fall under the social category of “Other Backward Classes”, “Scheduled Tribe”and “Scheduled Caste”. Though over the recent decades, there are certain legal interventions that have been developed for prohibiting manual scavenging, and further on contribute towards their rehabilitation. However, the cruelty of manual scavenging still persists to remain in India as a form of discrimination based upon castein the name of profession under the stigma of its generational connection with lower caste. The study aims to examine the caste-based labour practice of manual scavenging from a cultural and social perspective, alongside observing government laws and acts related to manual scavenging, their effectiveness, and any obstacles to the possibility of supporting manual scavengers in terms of implementations and benefits.Manual scavenging, in Indian context, is a direct consequence of caste system, where Dalits, from the sub-castes such as Helas and Valmikis, are mainly forced to sanitation labour. Even though there are several legal interventions is there like “The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013” and “The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993” manual scavengers are suffering because of lack of employment opportunities for them as the alternative, weak implementation of law and initiatives and mainly the caste-based exclusion. Through analysing the concept through developing a theme, this study examines the social and legal aspects of manual scavenging, cultural barriers for preventing an effective dynamic of rehabilitation and the influences of existing legislation. Manual scavenging persistence shows failure towards dismantling of hierarchies of caste-based labour, emphasising that the solutions have to extend beyond the paradigm of lawmaking and can go to a constructional social reform. Keywords - Manual Scavenging, Caste-Based, Cultural, Social, Legal