A clean and healthy nation rests on the shoulders of thousands of sanitation workers who perform essential services every day, often under difficult and hazardous conditions. Their contribution to public health, cleanliness and the functioning of our cities and communities is invaluable.
Ensuring their safety, welfare and dignity is therefore not merely a matter of social responsibility; it is an essential part of building an inclusive and humane society.
Recognising this responsibility, the Central Government has undertaken a comprehensive set of measures to protect the lives and livelihoods of sanitation workers through the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) and the financial assistance programmes of the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
These interventions represent a decisive shift from hazardous manual practices towards a safer and more dignified sanitation ecosystem—one built around mechanisation, occupational safety, healthcare, skill development and sustainable livelihoods.
Building a Safer Sanitation Ecosystem
The central objective of NAMASTE is clear: to eliminate hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and work towards zero fatalities in sanitation work. The scheme seeks to formalise the sanitation workforce and ensure that workers have access to safety equipment, occupational training, healthcare and livelihood opportunities. It also promotes the use of machines and safety devices so that no worker is exposed to hazardous conditions unnecessarily.
More than 91,000 sewer and septic tank workers have been profiled under the scheme, out of which more than 90,000 have been validated. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits have been provided to more than 87,000 workers, while around 77,000 workers have been covered under health-insurance schemes.
This process of profiling and validation is significant because it gives workers formal recognition and creates a pathway through which they can access government welfare and social-security programmes. It also enables implementing agencies to understand their requirements and provide appropriate interventions in occupational safety, healthcare, training and livelihoods.
Institutional preparedness is equally important. More than 750 safety devices have been dispatched to Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSU) established in larger municipal corporations and districts. These units strengthen emergency-response mechanisms and support the safe and mechanised execution of sewer and septic-tank cleaning operations.
Awareness and behavioural change are another important pillar. More than 1,600 workshops on prevention of hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks have been conducted across the country. These workshops have brought together workers, officials and other stakeholders to highlight the risks associated with unsafe sanitation practices and reinforce the importance of mechanised and safe cleaning.
Mechanisation: From Hazardous Labour to Safer Enterprise
Mechanisation is central to transforming sanitation work. No worker should have to enter a sewer or septic tank manually when technology can perform the task safely.
The Central Government is therefore extending financial support to enable sanitation workers to become owners and operators of sanitation-related machinery and vehicles. An upfront capital subsidy of nearly ₹35 Crore has been released to around 1,000 Sanitation Workers for the procurement of more than 370 Sanitation Vehicles.
This assistance is doing more than providing equipment. It is helping workers move from hazardous labour towards mechanised sanitation services, entrepreneurship and sustainable income generation.
The larger objective is to recognise sanitation workers not merely as recipients of welfare but as skilled professionals, service providers and entrepreneurs. Ownership of sanitation vehicles and equipment can improve workplace safety while creating opportunities for greater financial independence and long-term economic security.
This is the essence of empowerment: not simply providing support, but creating the means for individuals and families to build secure and dignified livelihoods.
Extending Welfare to Waste Pickers
Sanitation and cleanliness extend beyond sewer and septic-tank cleaning. Waste pickers also perform an indispensable public service by collecting, sorting and facilitating the recovery and recycling of waste. Yet, for far too long, many of them have worked without adequate recognition, occupational protection or social-security coverage.
Recognising their contribution, the Government expanded NAMASTE in 2024 to include waste pickers engaged in solid-waste management. The objective is to provide them with safer, more dignified and sustainable livelihoods through profiling, occupational-safety measures, healthcare, skill development and livelihood support.
Under the expanded component, more than 3.80 Lakh Waste Pickers have been profiled, of whom nearly 2.60 Lakh Have Been Validated Through E-KYC. More than 1.30 Lakh Waste Pickers have received PPE kits, while the data of more than 1.20 Lakh has been processed for generation of Ayushman Cards.
The inclusion of waste pickers under NAMASTE is an important step towards recognising their contribution to the circular economy and solid-waste management. It is helping connect them with identity documentation, occupational safety, healthcare and other welfare measures, while opening pathways towards more sustainable livelihoods.
Economic Empowerment through NSKFDC
Safety and dignity must be accompanied by economic empowerment. The National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) has an important role in this regard by providing concessional financial assistance for income-generating activities, entrepreneurship, skill development and the acquisition of sanitation-related vehicles and equipment. NSKFDC is a Government of India undertaking under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Between 2014–15 and 2025–26, NSKFDC released financial assistance of more than ₹2,383 Crore, benefiting over 3.42 Lakh people across the country.
The scale of this support is reflected in its year-on-year expansion. Financial assistance increased from more than ₹134 Crore Covering Over 19,000 Beneficiaries In 2014–15 to more than ₹223 Crore Benefiting Nearly 29,000 People In 2025–26.
Behind these figures are individuals and families seeking to move towards greater economic security. By facilitating access to concessional finance, capital subsidy and livelihood support, NSKFDC is helping beneficiaries acquire productive assets, establish enterprises and create sustainable sources of income.
Economic empowerment is an essential complement to social protection. It enables families to plan for the future, invest in education and build greater resilience.
Recognising the Contribution of Safai Karamcharis
Respect and recognition are as important as financial and institutional support.
In a significant first of its kind, the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) celebrated its 33rd Foundation Day on 23 August 2026 at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi. The event brought together more than 900 Safai Karamcharis, along with representatives of Central and State Governments, Union Territory administrations, Urban Local Bodies, public-sector organisations, civil-society organisations and other stakeholders.
On the occasion, 250 Safai Karamcharis were felicitated with Certificates of Appreciation. The NCSK Annual Calendar 2026 was also unveiled, while NCSK Missed-Call Facility (80 4735 9520) was launched to enable stakeholders to register grievances and representations.
Such initiatives are important because dignity is not measured only by financial assistance. It is also reflected in how society recognises, respects and listens to those who perform essential public services.
SafaiMitra Suraksha Evam Samman
The participation of over 3,800 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) and line departments in recently held national level SafaiMitra Suraksha Evam Samman Shivir in hybrid mode at National Capital New Delhi, with participation from across the country, is part of our commitment to uphold honour, dignity and value of our SafaiMitras.
During this national Shivir, a total of 2,24,521 NAMASTE Cards were downloaded by beneficiaries, while 57,967 Ayushman Cards were distributed to facilitate access to healthcare and social protection benefits.
The Shivir also facilitated 1,53,253 registrations under various Government schemes, enabling beneficiaries to connect with welfare and social security measures. Over 1.28 Lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits were distributed among SafaiMitras across participating locations, as part of endeavour to strengthen occupational safety.
From Protection to Opportunity
The Government’s approach to sanitation-worker welfare is therefore comprehensive.
Profiling provides recognition and creates a foundation for targeted interventions. PPE And Safety Devices help reduce occupational risks. Healthcare coverage provides an important social-security safeguard. Mechanisation reduces dependence on hazardous manual practices. Skill Development And Financial Assistance create opportunities for self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Together, these interventions seek to change the nature of sanitation work itself.
The objective is not simply to make hazardous work somewhat safer. The objective is to eliminate hazardous practices, promote mechanised and skilled sanitation services, and create pathways to dignified livelihoods.
A Commitment to a Safe and Dignified Future
The transformation of sanitation work is ultimately about people. It is about ensuring that no sanitation worker has to risk his or her life to keep our communities clean. It is about ensuring access to healthcare, social security, safe working conditions and economic opportunity. Above all, it is about recognising the dignity of every person who contributes to the cleanliness and well-being of our nation.
NAMASTE and the financing and livelihood programmes of NSKFDC are important instruments in this transformation. They combine safety with social protection, mechanisation with entrepreneurship, and welfare with empowerment.
As India advances towards a cleaner, healthier and more inclusive future, our commitment must remain unwavering: those who keep our nation clean must themselves live and work with safety, dignity, security and opportunity.
(The Author is Union Minister of Social Justice And Empowerment)
