In news– The Government has formulated a NAMASTE scheme for cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
About NAMASTE scheme-
- NAMASTE stands for National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem.
- It aims 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.
- It is a joint venture of-
- Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- The 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.
Note:
- Manual scavenging is a banned practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act, 2013.
- The Act bans the use of any individual for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of or otherwise handling in any manner, human excreta till its disposal.
- It is to be noted here that the Ministry of AYUSH has launched a portal named NAMASTE, a comprehensive web-portal for Standardized Terminologies and National Morbidity Codes of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani Systems of Medicine(not to be confused).
Source: AIR
