Context: The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs has said that the Government has formulated a NAMASTE scheme for cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

NAMASTE Scheme

• Full-Form: National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem- NAMASTE.

• Nodal Ministries: Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

• Aim: To achieve outcomes like zero fatalities in sanitation work in India, no sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter and all Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers have access to alternative livelihoods.

• Erstwhile Scheme: This scheme replaces the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers.

• Implementation: The scheme will be implemented from 2022 to 2026 across 500 cities and townships already notified under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) which aims to equip cities with basic quality of life services.