NAMASTE Scheme

NAMASTE Scheme Latest News

Recently, the union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment (SJ&E) distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and Ayushman health cards to Sewer and Septic Tank Workers under the flagship scheme of National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE).

About NAMASTE Scheme

• The objective of the “National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem” (NAMASTE) scheme is to formalize and institutionalised the persons engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and promoting safe and mechanized cleaning through trained sanitation workers.
• It is jointly being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Implementing agency: It is implemented by the National Safai Karmacharis Finance Development Corporation (NSKFDC) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE)
• Duration: It would be implemented for three years from FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26.
• Target Groups: Sewer and septic tank sanitation workers (SSWs) and waste pickers in urban areas of India

 What are the Aims of NAMASTE Scheme?

• Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India
• All sanitation work is performed by skilled workers
• No sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter
• Sanitation workers are collectivized into SHGs and are empowered to run sanitation enterprises
• All Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers (SSWs) have access to alternative livelihoods

NAMASTE Scheme FAQs

Q1: Who launched the Namaste scheme?

Ans: The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Q2: What is the Namaste scheme of the government?

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Ans: It promotes the formation and strengthening of self-help groups (SHGs) among sanitation workers. These SHGs are empowered to run their own sanitation enterprises, allowing sanitation workers to have greater control over their livelihoods.

Source: PIB