Official data reveals that more than 67% of sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) in India belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. In a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale shared that 37,060 out of the 54,574 validated SSWs, profiled under the ‘National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem’ (NAMASTE) scheme, belong to the SC category.
Further statistics show that 15.73% of the workers belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 8.31% are from the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and 8.05% are from the General category.
The NAMASTE scheme, launched in 2023-24 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), aims to ensure the safety, dignity, and empowerment of sanitation workers. A total of 57,758 workers across 33 states and Union Territories have been profiled, with 54,574 validated so far. Data integration for states such as Odisha and Tamil Nadu is ongoing.
As part of the scheme, several initiatives have been introduced to improve worker safety and provide socio-economic opportunities. These include the distribution of 16,791 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and 43 Safety Devices Kits for Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs), and the issuance of Ayushman health insurance cards to 13,604 beneficiaries.
Capital subsidies worth Rs 13.96 crore have been provided to 503 workers and their dependents for sanitation-related projects. Additionally, Rs 2.85 crore has been allocated to 226 beneficiaries from the manual scavenger category for self-employment ventures.
To raise awareness about the risks of unsafe cleaning practices, 837 workshops have been conducted under the NAMASTE initiative. The scheme also prioritizes the mechanization of sanitation work to reduce hazardous manual cleaning. In support of this, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has sanctioned Rs. 371 crore for the procurement of 2,585 desludging vehicles under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) 2.0.
These measures are designed to uplift the livelihoods and well-being of sanitation workers while advancing efforts to eliminate manual scavenging in India.
