New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday told Parliament that a total of 66,961 sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) have been validated under the National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme as of March 2025, marking a 22.7% increase compared to December 2024, when the figure stood at 54,574.
The scheme was launched in 2023-24 with an aim to address the persistent issues in sanitation work by promoting mechanised solutions and providing rehabilitation support to workers.
According to the government, 425 deaths were reported between 2019 and 2024 due to hazardous sanitation work, particularly related to cleaning sewers and septic tanks.
To be sure, under the scheme—the workers are “profiled” and then “validated” according to the guidelines. The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry had included “Waste pickers engaged in Solid Waste Management” under NAMASTE in 2024.
The Centre reported that 45,292 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits were distributed by March 2025, a rise of 170% from the 16,791 PPE kits distributed by December 2024. Additionally, 43 safety devices kits for emergency response sanitation units (ERSUs) were provided by December 2024, with this number remaining unchanged by March 2025.
The government released Rs. 17.23 crore in capital subsidies to 599 sanitation workers by March 2025, marking an increase of 23% in capital subsidies from ₹13.96 crore, which benefited 503 workers by December 2024.
{{/usCountry}}The government released Rs. 17.23 crore in capital subsidies to 599 sanitation workers by March 2025, marking an increase of 23% in capital subsidies from ₹13.96 crore, which benefited 503 workers by December 2024.
{{/usCountry}}The number of workshops focused on preventing hazardous sewer and septic tank cleaning also saw growth, with 1,837 workshops conducted by March 2025, up from 837 workshops by December 2024.
Despite the legal ban on manual scavenging under the “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013,” the practice persists in some areas.
No reports of manual scavenging have been received from Indian Railways or other districts in the past five years. However, two surveys conducted in 2013 and 2018 identified 58,098 manual scavengers across the country. The government has been working to assist these individuals by offering one-time cash assistance, skill development training, and capital subsidies for self-employment.