Relevance: GS II (Social Justice – Vulnerable Sections) | Source: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

1. The Human Context: Who Cleans India?

Recent data released under the NAMASTE Scheme sheds light on the invisible workforce keeping our cities clean.

• Social Marginalization: The profession is deeply stratified by caste. 84.5% of the profiled waste-pickers belong to marginalized communities, with Scheduled Castes (SC) alone constituting 60.3%.
• Gender Parity: Unlike many other sectors, this workforce is nearly evenly split between men (51.3%) and women (48.7%).
• The Exception: Interestingly, in states like Delhi and Goa, the majority of profiled waste-pickers belong to the General Category, defying the national trend.

2. What is the NAMASTE Scheme?

The scheme aims to shift from “Man-hole to Machine-hole” cleaning.

• Objective: To formally recognize “informal” waste-pickers and sewer workers, ensuring they have access to Protective Equipment (PPE) and social security benefits.
• The Goal: To achieve Zero Fatalities in sanitation work. Government data records 859 deaths due to hazardous sewer cleaning since 2014.
• Status: As of 2026, urban bodies have validated over 1.52 lakh waste-pickers to link them with formal benefits.

UPSC Value Box

Q. With reference to the ‘NAMASTE’ scheme, frequently seen in the news, consider the following statements:

1. It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
2. The primary objective of the scheme is to eradicate manual scavenging and achieve zero fatalities in sanitation work.
3. The scheme is implemented exclusively in rural areas to support agricultural waste management.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)