India Ministry of Social Justice strengthens welfare for sanitation workers

India’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing measures to improve the safety, welfare, and dignity of sanitation workers. According to Secretary Sudhansh Pant, 90,942 sewer and septic tank workers have been profiled, with 89,248 validated. To ensure safer working conditions, 87,037 workers have received Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, and 76,247 have been enrolled in health insurance schemes.

To support mechanization and livelihoods, the government released an upfront capital subsidy of Rs 34.17 crore to 983 sanitation workers for the procurement of 364 vehicles. Additionally, 753 safety devices were dispatched to Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) across various districts and municipal corporations. The ministry has also conducted 1,562 workshops focused on preventing hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

Following a scheme expansion in June 2024, support now includes waste pickers in both urban and rural areas. So far, 378,547 waste pickers have been profiled, with 252,163 validated via e-KYC. Approximately 131,864 waste pickers have received PPE kits, and data for 124,835 workers has been processed for the generation of Ayushman health cards.