The Government has formulated a National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem- NAMASTE scheme for cleaning of sewers and septic tank, said Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore.

According to the notification, the aims is  to achieve outcomes like zero fatalities in sanitation work in India. Under this occupational training will be given to sanitation workers to avoid professional hazards. Aim-No sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter. The scheme is a joint venture of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

According to various reports on Manual scavenging related data about 472 deaths from 2016-20 have been recorded due to manual scavenging.

According to human rights watch report published in 2014, many who refused to work as scavengers face threats from the dominant caste.

Mr Kaushal Kishore said that Skill Development and trainings of Safai Mitras is being taken up with the support of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through the National Safai Karamchari Finance Development Corporation.

 Know about the NAMASTE scheme:

Manual Scavenging:  It is the practice of physically removing human excreta by hands on the sewers of septic tanks, the work is mostly undertaken by the members of dalit caste.

The incident of death of two people in Mysuru and the case of dalit employee in a hospital being forced to clean a manhole depict that years after India ban the practice of manual scavenging it continues to plague the country.