The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will commemorate the 3rd NAMASTE Day on July 14, 2026, marking three years since the launch of the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme in 2023. The main event along with the Divya Kala Mela will be held at Rabindra Sadan in Kolkata, West Bengal, while parallel programs will take place across Urban Local Bodies nationwide.
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar is expected to attend the event, which is also likely to be graced by West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Suvendhu Adhikari. Other expected participants include ministers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, senior officials from the Centre and state, district administration representatives, the National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC), and other dignitaries.
On NAMASTE Day, Urban Local Bodies will organize activities focused on the welfare of sanitation workers, including occupational safety training, health check-up camps, facilitation of government entitlements, demonstrations of mechanized sanitation equipment and safety gear, and recognition of sanitation workers for their contribution. The day is dedicated to honoring sanitation workers—including sewer and septic tank workers, waste pickers, and former manual scavengers—for their vital role in safeguarding public health and environmental sanitation.
The NAMASTE Scheme, launched in 2023-24, aims to ensure dignity, safety, and social security of sanitation workers while strengthening them socially and economically. The intended outcomes include achieving zero fatalities in sanitation work, elimination of direct contact of sanitation workers with human fecal matter, performing all cleaning operations through safety devices, ensuring all sanitation work is performed by skilled workers, strengthening Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs), and empowering sanitation workers through formation of Self-Help Groups and entrepreneurship opportunities.
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