top of page
Search

NAMASTE Scheme in Vidarbha: Unseen Struggles Behind Mechanised Sanitation

NAMASTE Scheme in Vidarbha: Unseen Struggles Behind Mechanised Sanitation
NAMASTE Scheme in Vidarbha: Unseen Struggles Behind Mechanised Sanitation

The Vidarbha region presents a complex picture when examining the implementation of the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme. While this central initiative promises to eliminate hazardous manual cleaning practices and transform the lives of sanitation workers, its actual impact across Vidarbha reveals significant gaps between policy intentions and ground realities.


NAMASTE, launched in July 2023 as a joint initiative between the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, aims to mechanise all sanitation work and eliminate the deaths that continue to plague India's sewage and septic tank cleaning operations.


The scheme operates with a budget of Rs 349.73 crore over three years, targeting approximately one lakh sewer and septic tank workers across 4,800 urban local bodies nationwide. However, in Vidarbha, the implementation story has been marked by administrative challenges, incomplete data collection, and persistent safety violations.


Implementation Progress Across Vidarbha Districts


Maharashtra, with 7,649 validated sewer and septic tank workers under NAMASTE, ranks second nationally after Uttar Pradesh in terms of identified workers. Yet the distribution of these numbers across Vidarbha specifically remains unclear due to the lack of region-specific data disaggregation. This absence of localised information represents one of the fundamental challenges in assessing the scheme's effectiveness in the region.


In Nagpur, the largest city in Vidarbha, the Municipal Corporation has profiled 2,485 sewer and septic tank workers for the NAMASTE scheme.


The distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and Ayushman health cards has begun, but workers continue to face hazardous conditions.

A recent incident highlighted these ongoing risks when a 30-year-old sanitation worker, Shruti Uke, lost her life during a drain cleaning operation in the Nandanvan area due to a wall collapse. Such incidents underscore the persistent safety challenges that NAMASTE aims to address.


The scheme's rollout across other Vidarbha districts, including Akola, Amravati, Wardha, and Chandrapur, has been slower.


State-level coordination through the Mahatma Phule Backwards Class Development Corporation Limited (MPBCDC) has established Project Management Units, but their effectiveness in reaching rural and semi-urban areas of Vidarbha remains questionable.


Persistent Safety Failures Despite NAMASTE


Despite the scheme's emphasis on safety protocols, violations of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, continue across Vidarbha.


A union government-commissioned social audit conducted across Maharashtra revealed critical failures in protecting sanitation workers. The audit, which examined incidents between 2021 and 2024, found that safety protocols, protective gear, and emergency response mechanisms were largely absent across surveyed locations.


The audit specifically noted that workers were made to clean sewers and septic tanks without basic safety gear, with no first-aid kits or emergency rescue equipment available at worksites.

Several deaths occurred due to toxic gas inhalation, directly violating Section 7 of the PEMSR Act, which prohibits hazardous manual cleaning. The complete lack of mandatory training for sanitation workers was identified as a critical gap, with no pre-task safety training or risk assessment conducted.


Maharashtra's own statistics reveal the severity of the problem. Between 1993 and 2023, 1,064 sanitation workers died across India, with Maharashtra accounting for 56 deaths. The state government's recent decision to mechanise sewer cleaning through its 'Manhole to Machinehole' programme, with an allocation of Rs 400 crore, acknowledges the scale of the challenge.


A critical component of NAMASTE involves establishing Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) in districts to provide a professional, trained, and equipped workforce for sewer and septic tank maintenance. These units are designed to operate like fire services, with dedicated helplines and 24x7 response capabilities. However, the establishment of ERSUs across Vidarbha has been patchy and incomplete.


The Maharashtra government's directive for all civic bodies to establish ERSUs came after multiple reported deaths of workers from suffocation or toxic gas inhalation. Under the scheme, municipal commissioners serve as Responsible Sanitation Authorities (RSAs), heading units that should provide training, certification, and safety equipment to workers.


Only trained and certified workers from ERSUs should undertake sewer cleaning, with priority given to mechanical solutions.


However, ground realities in Vidarbha suggest that most ERSUs exist only on paper.

The required infrastructure, trained personnel, and equipment remain absent in many districts. The 14420 helpline number, meant to provide emergency response services, often goes unanswered or lacks the capacity to respond effectively to distress calls.


Data Gaps and Documentation Challenges

One of the most significant obstacles to assessing NAMASTE's impact in Vidarbha has been the systematic absence of region-specific data. Government reports consistently present state-level figures without disaggregating information specific to Vidarbha versus other regions like Marathwada or western Maharashtra.


This data gap makes it nearly impossible to evaluate the presence and scale of manual scavenging or NAMASTE's effectiveness in the region.


The 2018 national survey by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recorded 7,378 manual scavengers in Maharashtra, ranking it second in the country after Uttar Pradesh. However, there is no record of how many of these individuals were from Vidarbha.


The Swachhata Abhiyaan mobile application, designed to capture real-time data on manual scavenging incidents, has recorded no confirmed cases in Maharashtra, suggesting severe underreporting or failure in digital reporting systems.


This documentation gap extends to the National Commission for Safai Karmcharis, which has not published region-specific numbers for Vidarbha.


Without robust systems to document and verify data from rural and semi-urban areas, policy enforcement becomes virtually impossible. The structural issue in documentation has made it difficult to assess the true scale of the problem and, consequently, the effectiveness of interventions like NAMASTE.


Financial Challenges and Compensation Delays


The implementation of NAMASTE in Vidarbha has been hampered by significant financial challenges and delays in compensation payments. Families of sanitation workers who died during COVID-19 in Nagpur are still awaiting promised compensation from the state government.


While the government assured Rs 50 lakh per family, only two families have received any aid, leaving 52 families without support.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation had to step in with Rs 10 lakh per family from its limited funds.


Similar patterns emerge in compensation for workers who died in sewer cleaning operations. Between 2017 and 2021, 30 sewer workers lost their lives across Maharashtra, but only 11 families received compensation. The bureaucratic delays persist despite legal interventions, with the NMC Karmachari Sanghatana approaching the Bombay High Court's Nagpur Bench.


Under NAMASTE, workers are entitled to capital subsidies of up to Rs 5 lakh for procuring sanitation-related vehicles and equipment. However, the disbursement of these funds in Vidarbha has been slow and often mired in procedural complications. The scheme's financial components, including health insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat and skill development programmes, have yet to reach the majority of eligible workers in the region.


NAMASTE emphasises mechanisation and the adoption of modern technology for sewer and septic tank cleaning. The scheme promotes robotic solutions like the HomoSEP Atom, developed by IIT Madras, which has been deployed in 16 cities across India. However, the penetration of such technology in Vidarbha remains limited.


The region's infrastructure deficits compound these challenges. Many smaller urban local bodies in Vidarbha lack the technical capacity to operate and maintain sophisticated cleaning equipment. The absence of trained technicians and the high cost of maintaining imported technology create additional barriers to effective implementation.


Maharashtra's 'Manhole to Machinehole' programme, running parallel to NAMASTE, has allocated Rs 100 crore for procuring robotic machines for 414 urban local bodies over four years. However, the programme's focus remains on larger municipal corporations, with smaller towns and cities in Vidarbha often left behind.


The region's agricultural distress and economic challenges have also affected the scheme's implementation. Vidarbha, known for farmer suicides and agricultural problems, struggles with resource allocation and administrative priorities. The competing demands on local administration often push sanitation worker welfare down the priority list.


NAMASTE's success depends heavily on comprehensive training programmes for sanitation workers, supervisors, and municipal officials.

The scheme mandates occupational safety training and skill development programmes to transform traditional manual scavengers into skilled sanitation entrepreneurs. However, the training infrastructure in Vidarbha has proven inadequate to meet these ambitious goals.


The State Institute of Health and Family Welfare in Nagpur, established in 1959, serves as the apex training institute for the Public Health Department. While it has a network of seven regional health and family welfare training centres and 34 district health training centres, its focus on sanitation worker training under NAMASTE remains limited.


Training programmes conducted under the scheme often suffer from poor attendance, limited practical components, and lack of follow-up support. Many workers completing training programmes fail to receive the promised certification or employment opportunities. The disconnect between training content and actual working conditions further reduces the programme's effectiveness.


The region's linguistic diversity and low literacy levels among sanitation workers create additional training challenges. Training materials often remain available only in Hindi and English, limiting their accessibility to local workers who are more comfortable with Marathi or regional dialects.


Caste and Social Barriers


The implementation of NAMASTE in Vidarbha cannot be divorced from the caste-based nature of manual scavenging in India.


Approximately 94% of manual scavengers belong to the Scheduled Caste communities, with 65% from the Valmiki community specifically.

In Vidarbha, these social hierarchies remain deeply entrenched, affecting both the scheme's acceptance and effectiveness.


Traditional attitudes towards sanitation work persist in many parts of the region, with alternative employment opportunities remaining limited for workers from these communities.


Even when training and financial support are provided under NAMASTE, social stigma often prevents workers from transitioning to other occupations or establishing independent sanitation enterprises.


The scheme's emphasis on creating 'sanipreneurs' faces resistance not only from workers themselves but also from potential customers who prefer to engage with traditional service providers.


Breaking these social barriers requires sustained community engagement and awareness campaigns, components that remain weak in NAMASTE's implementation across Vidarbha.


Coordination Challenges Between Agencies


NAMASTE's implementation involves multiple ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and various state-level departments. In Vidarbha, this multi-agency approach has created coordination challenges and bureaucratic delays.


The National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), as the implementing agency, often struggles to coordinate effectively with state and local authorities. Conflicting priorities, jurisdictional disputes, and communication gaps between different levels of government have slowed programme implementation.

At the local level, urban local bodies often lack the administrative capacity to implement NAMASTE effectively. Many smaller municipalities in Vidarbha operate with limited staff and resources, making it difficult to undertake comprehensive worker profiling, training programmes, and equipment procurement simultaneously.


The scheme's convergence with other programmes like Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT, and DAY-NULM has created additional complexity. While convergence can maximise resource utilisation, it also requires sophisticated coordination mechanisms that are often absent at the local level.


The experience of NAMASTE implementation in Vidarbha offers important lessons for improving sanitation worker welfare programmes in India. The scheme's comprehensive design and ambitious goals are commendable, but the gap between policy intentions and ground realities remains substantial.


Success in mechanising sanitation work requires sustained political commitment, adequate funding, and effective implementation mechanisms. The region needs dedicated project management units with technical expertise and sufficient authority to coordinate between different agencies and levels of government.


Strengthening data collection and monitoring systems is crucial for tracking progress and identifying implementation bottlenecks. Region-specific targets and regular assessment of outcomes can help ensure that schemes like NAMASTE address local challenges effectively.


Investment in training infrastructure and capacity building at the local level is essential for long-term success. Creating a skilled workforce capable of operating and maintaining modern sanitation equipment requires sustained investment in education and technical training programmes.


Addressing social barriers and caste-based discrimination requires comprehensive awareness campaigns and community engagement. Legal enforcement of anti-discrimination laws must accompany scheme implementation to ensure that benefits reach intended beneficiaries.


The establishment of functional Emergency Response Sanitation Units with adequate staffing, equipment, and response capabilities should be prioritised across all districts in Vidarbha. These units can serve as the backbone for safe sanitation practices and emergency response during hazardous cleaning operations.


Financial mechanisms need streamlining to ensure the timely disbursement of benefits and compensation. Creating dedicated funds for sanitation worker welfare can reduce dependence on bureaucratic processes and ensure prompt response during emergencies.


Technology adoption requires careful consideration of local conditions and capacities. Rather than importing expensive foreign technology, emphasis should be on developing indigenous solutions that are cost-effective and suitable for Indian conditions.


The NAMASTE scheme represents an important step towards eliminating manual scavenging and ensuring the dignity of sanitation workers. However, its implementation in Vidarbha reveals the challenges inherent in transforming entrenched practices and social systems.

Success requires not just policy intervention but sustained effort to address underlying social, economic, and administrative factors that perpetuate hazardous sanitation practices.


Only through comprehensive reform that combines technological innovation, social transformation, and administrative efficiency can schemes like NAMASTE truly deliver on their promise of eliminating manual scavenging and ensuring the safety and dignity of sanitation workers across Vidarbha and beyond.


References



Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet
Add a rating

About the Author

The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

bottom of page