The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJ&E) on December 16, 2025, issued a notification regarding the Namaste Scheme.
The following has been stated:
The Prohibition of Employment and Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which proposed the creation of a Sanitation Authority, compensation by State Governments in case of death due to hazardous cleaning, and mechanisation of sanitation work, was not pursued as these objectives are being addressed under the NAMASTE Scheme and Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0.
Launched in 2023–24 by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme is being implemented across all Urban Local Bodies. The scheme aims to ensure the safety and dignity of Safai Karmacharis, achieve zero fatalities in sanitation work, and eliminate direct contact with human faecal matter, while also promoting their social and economic empowerment.
Key interventions include profiling and validation of sewer and septic tank workers, provision of PPE kits and safety devices, occupational training, Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY coverage, capital subsidy for sanitation-related machinery, and awareness workshops on hazardous cleaning.
As per the latest achievements, over 89,000 sanitation workers have been validated, more than 85,000 PPE kits and 653 safety device kits have been distributed, around 71,000 beneficiaries have received health coverage, ₹23.91 crore has been released as capital subsidy to sanitation workers and their dependents, and 1,188 workshops on preventing hazardous cleaning have been conducted. This information was shared by the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
