On World Environment Day 2025, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) launched a nationwide digital application for profiling waste pickers under the NAMASTE scheme. This initiative aims to enumerate 2.5 lakh waste pickers, providing them with formal identification, social protection, skill development, and opportunities for collective empowerment. The expanded NAMASTE scheme will issue occupational photo ID cards, provide health insurance under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, deliver PPE kits and access to capital subsidies, and strengthen waste picker collectives to manage Dry Waste Collection Centers (DWCCs). This initiative formally recognizes waste pickers as critical actors in India's circular economy and aims to improve their working conditions and livelihood security. The launch included the release of knowledge products: "Resource Guide: Mainstreaming Waste Picker Collectives as Service Delivery Partners," and "Charting Change: Socio-Economic Insights into India's Sanitation Workforce 2023-2025." NAMASTE, a Central Sector Scheme jointly implemented by MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), has already enumerated and validated over 80,000 sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs), facilitated the distribution of 26,447 Ayushman Bharat health cards, delivered over 45,781 PPE kits, and provided 354 Emergency Response Safety Kits.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Social Justice Empowerment: Indian government ministry responsible for social justice and empowerment. Also referred to as MoSJE.
World Environment Day 2025: Specific occurrence of the annual international day for environmental action, in the year 2025.
MoSJE: Abbreviation for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
NAMASTE Scheme: National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem, a Central Sector Scheme.
Waste Pickers: Individuals who collect and sort recyclable waste. The focus of the digital application and expanded NAMASTE scheme.
PIB Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Delhi office - the source of the posted information.
Nationwide Digital Application Waste Picker Enumeration App: A digital application launched for profiling Waste Pickers under the NAMASTE Scheme.
New Delhi: Location of the launch event.
Union Minister of State SJE Shri B L Verma: Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Secretary DoSJE Shri Amit Yadav: Secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Senior Economic Advisor MoSJE Smt. Yogita Swaroop: Senior Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Ms. Manvita Baradi: Founder and Director of UMC.
UMC: Organization where Ms. Manvita Baradi is Founder and Director.
Shri P.K. Singh: Managing Director of NSKFDC.
NSKFDC: National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation, an implementation agency.
Ayushman Bharat PMJAY: A health insurance scheme. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
DryWaste Collection Centers DWCCs: Facilities for managing dry waste, intended to be managed by Waste Picker Collectives.
Government of India: The governing body of India.
Resource Guide: Mainstreaming Waste Picker Collectives as Service Delivery Partners: A knowledge product released during the event.
Charting Change: SocioEconomic Insights into Indias Sanitation Workforce 20232025: A knowledge product released during the event.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs MoHUA: Indian government ministry involved in implementing NAMASTE.
MoHUA: Abbreviation for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
June 2024: Date when the NAMASTE scheme expanded its mandate to include Waste Pickers.
May 29, 2025: Date related to the enumeration and validation of SSWs under the NAMASTE scheme.
SSWs: Sewer and septic tank workers
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
On World Environment Day 2025, MoSJE launches a
Nationwide Digital Application for Profiling Waste
Pickers under the NAMASTE Scheme
Government reaffirms its commitment to
Environmental Justice and Worker Dignity by
safeguarding the role of Waste Pickers and
celebrating their contribution to Combating Plastic
Pollution
Posted On: 05 JUN 2025 6:54PM by PIB Delhi
On the occasion of World Environment Day 2025, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE)
reaffirmed its commitment to environmental justice and worker dignity, by launching a Nationwide Digital
Application - Waste Picker Enumeration App - for profiling Waste Pickers under the NAMASTE Scheme,
in New Delhi today. The event was graced by the presence of Union Minister of State (SJE) Shri B L Verma,
Secretary (DoSJE), Shri Amit Yadav, Senior Economic Advisor (MoSJE), Smt. Yogita Swaroop, Ms.
Manvita Baradi, Founder and Director, UMC and Shri P.K. Singh, Managing Director, NSKFDC.
With the inclusion of Waste Pickers, NAMASTE now aims to enumerate 2.5 lakh individuals,
offering them formal identity, social protection, skill development, and collective empowerment. Thishistoric step formally recognizes Waste Pickers as critical actors in India's circular economy and
aims to provide them with safer working conditions, better access to entitlements, and long-term
livelihood security. The expanded NAMASTE Scheme seeks to profile:
Issue occupational photo ID cards to Waste Pickers
(cid:108)
Provide health insurance under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY)
(cid:108)
Deliver PPE kits, skilling, and access to capital subsidies
(cid:108)
Strengthen Waste Picker Collectives to manage 750 DryWaste Collection Centers (DWCCs)
(cid:108)
By recognizing and integrating Waste Pickers into formal urban systems, the Government of India
takes a step toward building a more inclusive, equitable, and environmentally resilient sanitation
ecosystem. During the event, along with the formal launch of the Waste Picker Enumeration App,
two major knowledge products were also released:
‘Resource Guide: Mainstreaming Waste Picker Collectives as Service Delivery Partners’, and
(cid:108)
‘Charting Change: Socio-Economic Insights into India’s Sanitation Workforce (2023–2025)’
(cid:108)
The National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) is an ongoing Central
Sector Scheme jointly implemented by MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
(MoHUA) with NSKFDC being implementation agency for sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs).
The scheme expanded its mandate in June 2024 to include Waste Pickers.
As of May 29, 2025, the scheme has successfully:
Enumerated and validated over 80,000 SSWs
(cid:108)
Facilitated the distribution of 26,447 Ayushman Bharat health cards
(cid:108)
Delivered over 45,781 PPE kits
(cid:108)
Provided 354 Emergency Response Safety Kits
(cid:108)
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VM
(Release ID: 2134303)