Press Information Bureau

The Government has formulated a scheme “National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)”. The NAMASTE project, is a joint project of Ministry of Social    Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India.
2. All sanitation work to be performed by skilled workers.
3. No sanitation workers should come in direct contact with human faecal matter.
4. Sanitation workers are to be collectivized into SHGs and are empowered to run sanitation enterprises.
5. All Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers (SSWs) have access to alternative livelihoods.
6. Strengthened supervisory and monitoring systems at national, state and ULB levels to ensure enforcement and monitoring of safe sanitation work.
7. Increased awareness amongst sanitation services seekers (individuals and institutions) to seek services from registered and skilled sanitation workers.

In addition, for safe and sustainable sanitation, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued the Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) Policy, 2017 which emphasizes implementation of legal prohibition of manual scavenging under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 and have also prescribed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for safe cleaning of sewer and septic tanks in November, 2018.

In accordance with the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Judgment dated 27.03.2014 in Civil Writ Petition No. 583 of 2003, compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each is paid by the State Governments to the families of those who have died while cleaning sewers/septic tanks from the year 1993 onwards. National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and Department of Social Justice have ensured such compensation payments. Year-wise and state wise details during the last five years are given at Annexure.