NAMASTE Scheme Raises Puducherry Sanitation Worker's Income 50%

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has described the outcome of its NAMASTE Scheme through the case of a sanitation worker employed with Oulgaret Municipality in Puducherry, whose monthly earnings rose by half after he was equipped and trained under the programme.

What NAMASTE stands for

NAMASTE is short for National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem. The scheme is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and works on the safety, dignity and economic security of sanitation workers. It does this by supplying personal protective equipment, running structured safety training and linking workers to institutional and social security support, with the larger aim of moving the country towards mechanised sanitation in which no worker has to enter a sewer or a septic tank unprotected.

The worker's situation before the scheme

• He is 56 years old, belongs to the Other Backward Classes, and worked for years cleaning sewers and septic tanks.
• He often worked without proper protective equipment and was exposed to occupational hazards.
• Long exposure brought repeated skin infections, injuries and physical discomfort.
• Illness kept him away from work, cost him wages and strained a household of four that depended on his earnings.
• He also faced the social stigma attached to sanitation work.

What the scheme provided

The turning point came in 2025, when he was covered under NAMASTE. He received a full protective kit made up of overalls, gloves, safety boots, a face mask and a safety helmet. He was put through structured training on safe handling of sewage, occupational safety, prevention of hazards and the correct use of protective gear. He was also linked to social security support.

The result

Fewer skin infections and injuries meant he could attend work more regularly, and that regularity is what pushed his monthly income from roughly eight thousand rupees to about twelve thousand rupees. The Ministry presented the case as evidence that protective equipment, training and social security together change both health outcomes and household finances for sanitation workers.