The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will commemorate the 3rd NAMASTE Day on July 14, marking three years since the launch of the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme in 2023.

The main event, along with the Divya Kala Mela, will be held at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata in West Bengal while parallel programmes will take place across Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) nationwide.

Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar is expected to attend the event, which is also likely to be graced by West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Suvendhu Adhikari. Ministers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, senior officials from the Centre and the state, district administration representatives, the National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) and other dignitaries are also expected to participate.

On NAMASTE Day, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will organize activities focused on the welfare of sanitation workers, including occupational safety training, health check-up camps, facilitation of government entitlements, demonstrations of mechanized sanitation equipment and safety gear, and recognition of sanitation workers for their contribution.

NAMASTE Day is dedicated to honouring sanitation workers—including sewer and septic tank workers, waste pickers and former manual scavengers—for their vital role in safeguarding public health and environmental sanitation. The observance reinforces the government's commitment to improving their safety, dignity, and livelihoods through mechanized sanitation, skill development, protective equipment, and sustainable employment opportunities.

The ministry said the observance reflects the government's commitment to prioritizing the welfare of historically marginalized communities while promoting a safe, inclusive and dignified sanitation ecosystem across the country.

The day reinforces the commitment to ensuring their safety, dignity and well-being by promoting mechanized sanitation, eliminating hazardous cleaning practices, providing access to protective equipment, skill development and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

NAMASTE Day also serves as an occasion to raise public awareness about the rights and welfare of sanitation workers, foster respect for their contribution, and reaffirm the nation's resolve to create a safe, inclusive and dignified sanitation ecosystem for all.

Pertinently, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment launched National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme in 2023-24 with an aim to ensure dignity, safety and social security of sanitation workers while strengthening them socially and economically.

The intended outcome of NAMASTE scheme is to achieve zero fatalities in sanitation work; elimination of direct contact of sanitation workers with human faecal matter; all cleaning operations to be done through safety devices; all sanitation work to be performed by skilled workers; strengthening and capacitating of Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) to ensure safe delivery of mechanized sanitation services and empowerment of sanitation workers through formation of Self-Help Groups and entrepreneurship etc.

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TAR/GA