Odisha Steps Up Drive to Ensure Safety, Dignity and Livelihood Security of Sanitation Workers Under NAMASTE and GARIMA

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has intensified its efforts to enhance the livelihood security, safety and dignity of sanitation workers and waste pickers by strengthening the implementation of the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), in convergence with the State’s flagship GARIMA initiative.

Launched in July 2023 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, NAMASTE aims to eliminate hazardous sanitation practices and promote mechanised, safe and dignified sanitation work across the country. In Odisha, the programme is being aligned with GARIMA, which recognises sanitation workers and waste pickers as essential service providers and ensures comprehensive social security and livelihood protection.

The core objective of NAMASTE is to formalise and rehabilitate individuals engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, while ensuring zero fatalities in sanitation work. The initiative focuses on preventing direct human contact with waste, mandating the use of safety equipment, providing professional skill training, and strengthening Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) to deliver safe and efficient sanitation services. It also promotes the formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and entrepreneurship opportunities to support economic empowerment.

Key components of the programme include profiling of Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs), occupational safety training, provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, health insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY, upfront capital subsidies for sanitation vehicles and mechanised equipment, and large-scale awareness campaigns to reinforce dignity and safety in sanitation work.

Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, said the convergence of NAMASTE and GARIMA reflects the State Government’s sustained focus on ensuring dignity of labour, social protection and long-term livelihood security for sanitation workers and waste pickers, who form the backbone of urban cleanliness and public health. She informed that a comprehensive enrolment drive is currently underway across all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) through the Housing and Urban Development Department.

The initiative also covers waste pickers engaged in solid waste management, aiming to provide safe, dignified and sustainable livelihoods through structured enumeration, occupational safety training, skill upgradation programmes, distribution of need-based PPE kits, health insurance coverage, and financial support for waste collection vehicles and self-employment ventures.

Several components of the erstwhile Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS), including skill development training, health insurance and capital subsidy support, have been subsumed under NAMASTE to create a unified and robust rehabilitation framework.

Through the integrated implementation of NAMASTE and GARIMA, Odisha continues to strengthen its commitment to mechanised sanitation, social justice and inclusive urban development, placing dignity, safety and empowerment at the centre of sanitation governance.