New Delhi [India], July 16 : On the occasion of the 'National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Day', Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, BL Verma, inaugurated the helpline (14473) for waste pickers and distributed PPE kits and Ayushman cards to Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs) and Waste Pickers, in Lucknow on Wednesday, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said in a release.
According to the release, addressing the programme, Verma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured and respected those who were not cared about. He said that in 2014, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister had started the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the country. Since that campaign, the picture of the country has changed drastically.
The Minister said that cleanliness is not just the responsibility of the government; it is the collective responsibility of society. He said that the Government is continuously working towards stopping the practice of manual scavenging through the Namaste Scheme, cleaning work using modern technology without human contact, and ensuring safety and respect for sanitation workers.
As per the release, Verma further said that NAMASTE Yojana is not just a scheme but a resolution under which concrete steps have been taken towards making the lives of workers working in sewers and septic tanks across the country safe and dignified. He informed that under the scheme, profiling of 85,067 sewer septic tank workers has been done so far, and PPE kits have been provided to 45,871 sewer SSWs, while Ayushman cards have been provided to 40,166 workers.
The Minister said that Prime Minister Modi himself had given this message in the Cabinet that we all have the responsibility of keeping not only our homes but also our offices clean. He said that as a result of this, when the Ministries of the Government of India cleaned their old junk and auctioned it for the first time, a sum of over Rs 61 crore was received.
In this programme, an AR/VR training module was launched for occupational safety training of SSWs and a fashion show was also organised to explain the importance and utility of PPE Kits under NAMASTE scheme. On this occasion, a total of 933 and 1563 waste pickers have been validated in profiling in Lucknow, out of which 20 SSWs and 20 Waste Pickers were symbolically given PPE kits and Ayushman cards were given to 24 sanitation workers. Safety equipment was also distributed for Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSU).
The event witnessed the reaffirmation of the Government's commitment to 'Dignity for the Marginalised', ensuring that those who have been historically underserved or overlooked are provided with the appropriate assistance they deserve. This dedication to prioritise the marginalised reflects the Government's broader vision of Viksit Bharat, where every individual has an opportunity to contribute and benefit from India's development journey, the press release said.
Dignitaries present on the occasion included Minister of Social Welfare, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Arun Asim; State Minister of Backward Caste Development and Empowerment of PwDs, Narendra Kashyap; Senior Financial Advisor, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms. Yogita Swaroop; India Representative of UNDP, Ms. Angela Lusigi, along with other senior officers from Centre and State Governments.
According to the release, the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme is a human-centric approach of the government, where no Safai Karamchari has to do the hazardous work of cleaning sewers and septic tanks with their hands. The scheme was jointly launched by the Union Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment and Housing and Urban Affairs. It is being implemented by the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), for a period of three years from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26, with a budget allocation of Rs 349.73 crore.
The scheme provides a number of entitlements for Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs). SSWs are being profiled through a digital application and provided PPE kits, access to safety equipment, occupational safety training, health insurance coverage and livelihood opportunities in the sanitation sector through subsidised vehicles/machines related to sanitation. They are being encouraged to start their own sanitation ventures (Sani-preneurship) through appropriate capacity building.