India
NAMASTE sanitation scheme to expand to rural India, include more workers
The Social Justice Ministry has proposed expanding the NAMASTE sanitation scheme to rural areas and additional worker categories, while the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has flagged continued rejections of subsidy applications.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has moved a proposal to expand the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme from towns and cities to rural parts of the country. The scheme, launched in 2023-24 with the aim of eradicating sewer and septic tank deaths, would now also include drain cleaners, workers in sewage treatment plants (STPs), and workers in faecal sludge treatment plants. The proposed outlay for the expansion is around ₹498.73 crore.
Separately, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has been flagging the continued rejection of applications under the self-employment and capital subsidy components of the scheme. No further details on rejection numbers or reasons were provided in the source.
- NAMASTE scheme
- National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem
- sewer and septic tank deaths
- sewer and septic tank deaths in India
- scheme for septic tank workers
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