The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has highlighted how the Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY) component of the NAMASTE Scheme has helped sanitation workers establish mechanised businesses and improve their earnings. The case of Kapil Pal, a 32-year-old sanitation worker from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, illustrates how structured financial support can transform livelihoods in the sanitation sector.
What Kapil Pal received and how it worked
Kapil received assistance on 21 September 2021 to purchase mechanised equipment for sewer and septic tank cleaning services. The project cost was ₹8.90 lakh, which included a loan of ₹5,42,500 and a capital subsidy of ₹3,47,500. He obtained a tractor-cum-suction machine to operate under Nagar Nigam Ghaziabad, primarily serving the Raj Nagar Extension area.
Kapil is repaying the loan through monthly instalments of ₹18,640, with approximately ₹1,21,000 remaining outstanding. His family comprises his wife, two children (aged four and seven), parents and elder brother. Before receiving this support, Kapil worked as a sanitation labourer with limited income and faced significant family responsibilities as the primary earning member.
The financial turnaround
Following the intervention, Kapil’s monthly income increased substantially. He now earns approximately ₹35,000 to ₹40,000 per month compared to his earlier earnings from regular sanitation work. This improvement enabled him to handle a personal crisis: when he required a back operation, he could meet the entire medical cost through his savings without burdening his family financially.
Beyond medical expenses, the additional income has allowed him to continue supporting his children’s education and build emergency reserves for his household of seven members.
What this means for you
If you work in the sanitation sector and face limited access to capital and mechanised equipment, schemes like SUY under NAMASTE offer structured loans and subsidies to establish your own business. The combination of upfront capital subsidy and affordable loan repayment can help you shift from wage labour to entrepreneurship while serving your community. Success stories like Kapil’s show that such support can stabilise household finances and provide dignity in work.