NAMASTE expansion to cover rural India, but subsidy approvals remain low

The Union Social Justice Ministry has proposed expanding the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme from towns and cities to rural India, while also including drain cleaners and workers at sewage treatment plants (STPs) and faecal sludge treatment plants. The ministry has sought an outlay of approximately ₹498.73 crore for the expanded scheme, to be implemented from the current fiscal year until 2030-31.

NAMASTE, launched in 2023-24, aims to eliminate deaths caused by hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. According to data presented to Parliament in August, 498 people died while engaged in such work between 2019 and June 2026.

The scheme initially covered sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs). It was later expanded to include waste pickers. As per the ministry’s annual report for 2025-26, 90,915 SSWs and 1.3 lakh waste pickers have been profiled so far.

The core components include capital subsidies of up to 50% of the total project cost for manual scavengers and SSWs to start their own sanitation-related enterprises. The scheme also provides for emergency response sanitation units in urban local bodies, along with training workshops and personal protective equipment (PPE) for profiled workers.

Implementation, however, has fallen short in the financial assistance component. As of March 31, 2026, only 810 SSWs had been approved for capital subsidies, and of these, only 147 had actually received the funds. Similarly, of the 58,000 manual scavengers identified under the scheme, merely 2,652 projects have been approved. This includes projects proposed by individuals and Private Sanitation Service Organisations (PSSOs).

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has been raising concerns about the low approval numbers. In repeated letters to the ministry since last year, the commission has pointed to a high rejection rate of applications as one of the reasons. According to the NCSC, rejections have occurred under every sub-component of the capital subsidy scheme, and it has called for a detailed examination.

In an August 2025 letter, the NCSC specifically flagged rejections in the self-employment components under the Safai Udyami Yojana, which provides capital subsidies to SSWs, and under the PSSO component. Earlier this year, the commission reiterated its request to examine the rejection rate even as it approved the ministry’s plan to expand the scheme’s scope.

On other components, the government reported that 85,743 PPE kits had been dispatched to SSWs and 690 emergency response sanitisation unit safety devices had been provided. In addition, 7,499 waste pickers received PPE kits. The ministry also said 1,328 awareness workshops were conducted for SSWs and 27,928 manual scavengers received training.

The proposed expansion is significant as it brings rural sanitation workers into the fold, where mechanised cleaning facilities are often scarce. The inclusion of drain cleaners and STP workers also widens the scheme’s coverage to a larger workforce. However, the low approval rates for financial assistance indicate that the scheme’s benefits are yet to reach many eligible workers. The NCSC’s repeated objections suggest that addressing the rejection process will be critical to the success of the expanded programme.