Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar distributed Sanitation Kits and Ayushman Health Cards to Safai Karamcharis under the Central Government’s National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme, in Mumbai today.
In addition, Sanction Letters for subsidized low rate loan for purchase of mechanized cleaning vehicles under Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY) were also distributed to some of the beneficiaries. The event witnessed the reaffirmation of Government’s commitment to the welfare of the underprivileged.
This dedication to prioritizing the marginalized reflects the Government's broader vision of Viksit Bharat where every individual has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from India's development journey.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar informed that the NAMASTE Scheme, which is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has an objective of ensuring dignity and safety of sanitation workers and empowering them socially and economically.
This scheme aims to formalize and institutionalize the persons engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and also promote safe and mechanized cleaning through trained sanitation workers.
On the occasion the Union Minister also informed that waste pickers are also included as beneficiaries in the NAMASTE Scheme, along with sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) and their profiling has also started.
Dr. Kumar said that NAMASTE scheme aims to take down the death rate to zero by providing training to the sanitation workers or ‘swachhata senani’ of the country. In these training programmes, the engineers and related municipality workers will also take part so that the whole system becomes well-prepared.
For this purpose, profiling of sanitation workers has started in all municipalities around the country, to ensure safe working conditions and providing them with PPE kits and other safety devices. Applauding the spirit of the swachhata workers, Dr. Virendra Kumar said that their hard work round the year keeps the citizenry free from diseases.
Calling them the most important section of society, he said that it is our duty to ensure that the sanitation workers have a safe working environment. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is holding meetings with the Social Welfare Departments of all the states for this purpose.
The Union Minister also urged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation sanitation workers present on the occasion to inform their fellow colleagues in other regions of the country about the benefits to be yielded from the NAMASTE scheme.
Dr. Ashwani Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC informed that 2485 Sewer and Septic Tank Workers have been profiled in Mumbai city and the benefits of NAMASTE scheme will be extended to them.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 is followed in letter and spirit in Mumbai where cent percent sewer connectivity will be achieved by 2027, she further informed.
Shri Amit Yadav, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, informed that 65,060 SSWs have been profiled under the scheme and 32,734 of them have been provided with PPE kits, while 15,153 workers have been provided with Ayushman health cards till date.
The National Safai Karmacharis Finance Development Corporation (NSKFDC) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) is the implementing agency of ‘NAMASTE’.
Dr. Harshdeep Kamble, Principal Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Ms. Yogita Swaroop, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, Shri Kiran Dighavkar, Dy. Municipal Commissioner, Mumbai, Shri Prabhat Kumar Singh, Managing Director, National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation and Shri Lahuraj Mali, Managing Director, Mahatma Phule Backward Classes Development Corporation Limited, Mumbai were also present amongst the dignitaries.