Parliamentary panel flags slow rollout of safety gear, health benefits under NAMASTE sanitation scheme

A parliamentary panel has warned that despite progress in profiling sanitation workers under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme, significant gaps remain in providing them protective gear, health coverage and training.

The Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, in its latest report tabled in Parliament on Thursday, said that while 73,289 sewer and septic tank workers had been profiled as of April 2025, only 69,231 had been validated by urban local bodies against an estimated one lakh workers nationwide.

It noted that the slow pace could deprive many workers of crucial benefits.


The committee also flagged the limited distribution of safety equipment and health cards.

"Despite the efforts made by the Department, there is still a significant gap in the profiling and validation of SSWs (Sewer and Septic Tank Workers), distribution of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Kits, safety devices and Ayushman cards," the report said.

Data provided by the Social Justice Ministry showed that 45,871 PPE kits and 354 safety device kits had been supplied, while only 16,962 Ayushman Bharat health cards were issued to sanitation workers.

The committee called for urgent action to ensure that "no sanitation worker comes in direct contact with human faecal matter", one of the core objectives of the scheme launched in 2023.

The ministry, in its response, said it had appointed responsible sanitation authorities in 557 districts, set up emergency response sanitation units in 576 urban local bodies and operationalised helplines including 14420 in 290 units.

It also said that nearly a thousand workshops had been conducted on preventing hazardous cleaning practices.

The panel insisted that the government must not only complete profiling and validation in a time-bound manner but also ensure that the distributed safety kits actually reach the workers. It further recommended training programmes to help workers use the equipment properly, thereby securing their safety and dignity.