Hyderabad: Telangana government introduced 70 mini jetting machines on Monday in a process to eliminate manual scavenging. Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao flagged off these machines. He said the state government, as part of its 'Swachh Telangana' programme, has adopted technology to end manual scavenging.

"Improving the working and living conditions of scavengers has been the priority for the government," KTR said, adding that he would see to it that manual scavenging ceases to exist in state very soon. The 70 mini jetting machines purchased at a cost of Rs20 crore were handed over to the 'scavenging labour turned entrepreneurs'.

"Through this initiative, we have created 70 sanitary soldiers, who have been provided with 'bacteria-free uniforms' which is done first time in India. Our aim is to create another 5,000 sanitary entrepreneurs or soldiers in the next one year across the country," DICCI Founder Milind Kamble said, adding that nearly 1300 manual scavengers died in the last three years across the country.

The mini vehicles can have easy access to the narrow lanes and smaller colonies to clear the choked sewer pipes (drainages).