Safai Karamchari Andolan

Called HomoSEP, this robot has been developed by researchers at IIT-Madras and Solinas Integrity, an IIT-M incubated startup, in close coordination with the Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA), a non-profit dedicated to the elimination of manual scavenging in India.

“When safai karamcharis actually showed us how manual scavengers carve the hardened sludge in the septic tank and hammer it with their hands, we realised how difficult the environment is for them. That's why this matters."

A manual scavenger's son, Bezwada is fighting to eliminate this demeaning profession from its roots. He has organised rallies, filed PILs, approached policymakers, and says he will not rest till the last manual scavenger quits the profession.