NAMASTE Scheme to ensure safety, dignity and social security of sanitation workers while moving to mechanised sanitation
NAMASTE, the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem, is a joint government scheme to reduce hazardous manual sanitation work and expand mechanised cleaning, welfare coverage, and livelihood support for sanitation workers.
- The Government of India says NAMASTE is being implemented as a flagship mechanised sanitation and welfare scheme for sanitation workers.
- The scheme is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- The scheme provides protective gear, health coverage, occupational safety training, skill development, self-employment support, and mechanised equipment access.
- The Government of India says States, Union Territories, Urban Local Bodies, and implementing agencies are part of the rollout structure.
The Government of India says the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) is a flagship scheme to improve the safety, dignity, and social security of sanitation workers while shifting sanitation operations towards mechanised cleaning. The subject is important for UPSC because it sits at the intersection of social justice, occupational safety, urban governance, and technology-led service delivery.
What the NAMASTE Scheme seeks to do
The scheme is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The stated aim is to eliminate hazardous manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, promote mechanised cleaning practices, and build welfare support around sanitation work.
UPSC may frame NAMASTE as a scheme on occupational safety, social security, mechanisation of sanitation, and the elimination of hazardous manual cleaning. The issue can also be linked to dignity of labour, implementation by Union ministries, and the role of urban local bodies in delivery.
Related dispatches
