The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has highlighted how the Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY), implemented under the NAMASTE Scheme, has helped sanitation workers transition from hazardous manual labour to running their own mechanised sanitation businesses. The scheme provides financial support to workers in this sector to establish safer, technology-based livelihoods and reduce dependence on physically demanding work.
How the scheme worked for one sanitation worker
Kailash Chander, a 63-year-old from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan and a member of the Scheduled Caste-Valmiki community, spent decades performing manual sewer cleaning work. On 24 September 2025, he received support under SUY to purchase a tractor fitted with a suction machine for mechanised sanitation services. The total project cost was ₹11.86 lakh, split between a loan of ₹5.93 lakh and a capital subsidy of ₹5.93 lakh.
With this equipment, Chander established his own sanitation enterprise serving Nagar Panchayat Udaipurwati and surrounding areas in Jhunjhunu district. He now employs one driver (paid approximately ₹12,000 monthly) and one helper (paid approximately ₹8,000 monthly). After paying his monthly loan instalment of ₹8,267 and operational costs, he saves between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 each month. This stable income has enabled him to support himself and his wife without relying on his three adult sons.
What this means for you
If you are a sanitation worker facing physically demanding and low-paying employment, schemes like SUY under NAMASTE offer a pathway to self-employment with government financial backing. The combination of a loan and a capital subsidy can help you purchase mechanised equipment and start your own business, creating both personal income stability and employment for others in your area. The scheme demonstrates that moving to safer, technology-based work is possible even later in life, and can deliver both improved earnings and greater dignity in your work.