"Mechanisation, not merely protection, is the answer to deaths in sewer and septic tanks." Evaluate the NAMASTE scheme in this light.

Between January 2021 and June 2026, 332 sanitation workers died cleaning sewers and septic tanks in 18 States/UTs [1]. This happened even though the Manual Scavengers Act, 2013 bans such work [2]. Protection makes entering a sewer safer, while mechanisation stops people having to enter at all. NAMASTE (July 2023) aims at mechanisation, but so far it mostly delivers protection.

Where NAMASTE aims at mechanisation

• Clear goals: zero deaths, no direct contact with human faecal matter and only skilled workers using safety devices [3].
• New local bodies: Responsible Sanitation Authorities and Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) were created. 642 ERSUs existed by August 2025 [3].
• Workers owning machines: the Swachhata Udyami Yojana gives capital subsidy through NSKFDC to turn workers into "Sanipreneurs" [3].
• Protection as a bridge: 89,915 sewer and septic-tank workers (SSWs) have been verified and 87,037 PPE kits issued [4]. This registration also helps families claim the ₹30 lakh compensation ordered in Dr. Balram Singh v. Union of India (2023) [2].

Where it remains protection-heavy

• Little spent on machines: by August 2025, only 707 people had received capital subsidy (₹20.36 crore) [3]. That is under 1% of verified SSWs [4].
• Too few ERSUs: 642 ERSUs for more than 4,800 ULBs [3].
• Counting outputs, not outcomes: the October 2026 Shivir reported 1,28,928 PPE kits but no machines deployed and no figures on deaths [5].
• Small budget: ₹349.70 crore over three years [3] is about ₹7 lakh per ULB. That is roughly a quarter of the compensation for a single death [2].
• Weak deterrence: only 193 FIRs were filed in five years [1]. This keeps manual entry cheaper than hiring machines.
• Urban-only design: rural septic-tank workers fall outside a scheme built for ULBs [3].

Verdict: the statement largely holds. NAMASTE identifies the problem correctly, but in practice it still relies mainly on protection.

NAMASTE has built the foundations of mechanisation: registered workers, emergency units and worker-owned enterprise. However, its funding and the results it reports still favour PPE over machines. The next phase should track deaths, manual entries and machines in use in each ULB. It should also link SBM-Urban 2.0 funds to verified mechanisation, building on the 2020 Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge pledge [6], and expand the Swachhata Udyami Yojana. Protection would then be a bridge rather than the end goal, upholding the dignity guaranteed by Articles 17 and 21.