25 February 2026·PIB

Distribution of PPE Kits, Ayushman Cards and Sewing Machines under NAMASTE Scheme at Pilibhit; Shri B.L. Verma Hon’ble Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, to Grace the Event

In this note

1. At a Glance

NAMASTE = National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem; Central Sector Scheme to eliminate hazardous manual cleaning of sewers/septic tanks and mainstream safety, dignity & livelihood of Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs) [2][3].
Jointly framed by M/o Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) and M/o Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA); implemented by NSKFDC [3].
Relevance: intersects social justice (SC welfare, manual scavenging), urban sanitation (SBM linkage), and labour rights — a recurring GS-II/GS-I theme.

26 Feb 2026: Outreach event at Gandhi Prekshagrih, Pilibhit (UP) — distribution of PPE kits, Ayushman Cards and sewing machines (post-skill training) to SSWs and waste pickers; MoS SJE Shri B.L. Verma to grace the event [1].
Part of nationwide camp series (Mumbai, Jammu, etc.) under NAMASTE through 2025-26 [4][5].

Predecessors: Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS, 2007); Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 [2].
NAMASTE announced in Union Budget 2022-23; pilot in 2022; full launch July 2023 [6][3].
Duration: FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26 (3 years); outlay ₹349.73 crore [3].
June 2024: Scope expanded to include Waste Pickers as a target group [3].

Full form: National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem [2].
Type: Central Sector Scheme (100% central funding) [3].
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (with MoHUA) [2].
Implementing agency: National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) [3].
Outlay: ₹349.73 crore (2023-24 to 2025-26); FY 2023-24 allocation ₹97.41 crore [3][7].
Coverage: All Urban Local Bodies (~4,800 ULBs) across India [3].
Target groups: SSWs and Waste Pickers [3].
Statutory backdrop: Manual Scavengers Act, 2013; Articles 17, 21, 23, 46 of Constitution.
Progress (as reported): 88,448 SSWs + 42,127 Waste Pickers profiled; 83,901 PPE kits issued; 65,805 covered under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY; 555 Safety Device Kits to Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) [3].

Social

Targets predominantly SC communities historically locked into hereditary sanitation labour; instrument of Article 17 (abolition of untouchability) [2].
Addresses occupational caste-based stigma; couples PPE with skill training (sewing machines for livelihood diversification) [1].

Administrative / Governance

Convergence model: MoSJE + MoHUA + ULBs + NSKFDC; uses digital profiling app for SSWs [2][3].
Subsidised sanitation vehicles/machinery via NSKFDC credit to create SSW-led enterprises [2].

Legal / Constitutional

Complements Manual Scavengers Act, 2013 (criminalises engagement in manual scavenging) and SC ruling in Safai Karamchari Andolan v. Union of India (2014) mandating ₹10 lakh compensation for sewer deaths.
Operationalises DPSP Article 46 (promotion of educational & economic interests of SCs/STs/weaker sections).

Economic

Health insurance coverage via Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY (₹5 lakh family floater) [3].
Livelihood: skill development + capital subsidy converts hazardous labour into mechanised micro-enterprise [2].

Scientific / Technological

Push for mechanisation of desludging via Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs); promotes safety devices and PPE deployment [3].

Feb 2025: NAMASTE kits & Ayushman cards distributed in Jammu by Dr. Virendra Kumar [5].
Feb 2025: Distribution event in Mumbai [4].
2025 Parliamentary reply: 85,819 SSWs profiled; 76,736 PPE kits; 60,586 Ayushman cards issued [8].
Feb 2026: Pilibhit (UP) event — first prominent inclusion of sewing machines for skill-trained beneficiaries [1].

NAMASTE = National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (not "Manual") [2].
Launched July 2023; pilot announced in Union Budget 2022-23 [6].
Total outlay: ₹349.73 crore for FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26 [3].
Implementing agency: NSKFDC (under MoSJE) [3].
Joint ministries: MoSJE + MoHUA [2].
Coverage: all ~4,800 Urban Local Bodies [3].
Waste Pickers added as beneficiaries in June 2024 [3].
Health cover under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY [3].
Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) receive Safety Device Kits [3].
Statutory backbone: Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers Act, 2013.
Pilibhit event 2026 graced by MoS SJE Shri B.L. Verma [1].
NAMASTE replaces/subsumes the earlier SRMS (2007).

GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections (SCs, sanitation workers); government policies & interventions for development.
GS-I: Social empowerment; issues related to caste and dignity of labour.
Question stems: 1. "Mechanisation alone cannot end manual scavenging without dismantling caste-occupational linkages." Examine in light of the NAMASTE scheme. 2. Evaluate the NAMASTE scheme as an upgrade over SRMS in safeguarding sewer & septic tank workers. 3. Discuss the institutional convergence (MoSJE-MoHUA-ULBs-NSKFDC) under NAMASTE and bottlenecks in last-mile delivery.

Manual Scavengers Act, 2013 — statutory anchor.
SRMS (2007) — predecessor rehabilitation scheme.
Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 — sanitation convergence point.
Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY — health cover plug-in for SSWs.
National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) — statutory monitor.
Safai Karamchari Andolan v. Union of India (2014) — SC mandate on sewer-death compensation.
DAY-NULM — urban livelihood / skill convergence.
NSKFDC — apex finance corporation under MoSJE.

"Mechanised" not "Manual" Sanitation Ecosystem — name trap [2].
Nodal ministry is MoSJE (with MoHUA) — NOT Jal Shakti or MoEFCC [2].
Implementing agency is NSKFDC, not NCSK (which is a monitor, not implementer).
NAMASTE is a Central Sector Scheme (100% Centre-funded), not Centrally Sponsored.
Beneficiaries are SSWs and (since 2024) Waste Pickers — not "manual scavengers" (whose employment is itself illegal under the 2013 Act) [3].