What happened (NAMASTE progress in the Lok Sabha written reply)
The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale, stated in a Lok Sabha written reply that the Government of India is strengthening efforts to eliminate hazardous sanitation practices and to protect the dignity, safety, and welfare of sanitation workers through the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme. NAMASTE was launched in 2023 and focuses on mechanisation of sewer and septic tank cleaning, improved occupational safety, and worker welfare support.
NAMASTE Scheme: reported validation and PPE support
Under NAMASTE, the Government reported the following implementation outputs across States and Union Territories:
In addition to worker-level safety support, NAMASTE includes Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) that are equipped with safety devices intended to make sewer and septic tank operations safer.
ERSUs: safety device sets and the types of devices
Related current affairs
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- National Workshop on Mission Zero to End Fatalities in Sanitation Work
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