**Executive Summary**
This document pertains to Unstarred Question No. 2149 in Lok Sabha, addressed to the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs regarding the equipment of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) with mechanised cleaning equipment. It outlines the Ministry's initiatives to promote mechanisation in sewer and septic tank cleaning, including financial assistance and SOPs. It also includes state-wise progress under Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY) as on March 2025. The question was set to be answered on February 12, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Promotion of Mechanisation:**
* All States/UTs are advised to procure or lease necessary equipment to achieve 100% mechanisation of sewer and septic tank cleaning.
* MoHUA has identified required machinery and equipment, facilitated its listing on the GeM portal for easy procurement by States and ULBs.
* **SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar Protocol:**
* MoHUA launched the SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar protocol, where a ULB achieving 'adequate' status in institutional, manpower, and equipment domains can be declared SafaiMitra Surakshit.
* More than 3,489 ULBs have declared themselves SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar.
* **Financial Assistance:**
* NAMASTE provides upfront Capital Subsidy to Sanitation Workers and PSSOs for mechanised sanitation equipment.
* Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY) offers loans and upfront capital subsidy for mechanized cleaning equipment.
* Annexure details direct loans and upfront capital subsidy provided till March, 2025 under SUY.
* **Compliance and Guidelines:**
* MoSJE data of inspections under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, is not maintained centrally.
* Used Water management (UWM) included under Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0. to eradicate hazardous entry into sewers and septic tanks.
* MoHUA issued an advisory on Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU) in 2019 to institutionalise safety practices.
* MoHUA issued SOP in November 2018 for mechanical and manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
* MoHUA issued Model Empanelment and Contract documents in June 2025, to guide ULBs in engaging Private Sanitation Service Operators (PSSOs).
**Impact Analysis**
**State Governments/UTs**
* **Impact:** Advised to procure or lease necessary equipment for 100% mechanization of sewer and septic tank cleaning.
* **Action Required:** Assess current equipment levels, explore procurement or leasing options, and aim for 100% mechanization.
**Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)**
* **Impact:** Eligible to declare themselves SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar based on protocol.
* **Action Required:** Evaluate their status in institutional, manpower, and equipment domains; implement measures to achieve 'adequate' status and declare themselves SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar.
**Sanitation Workers and Private Sanitation Service Operators (PSSOs)**
* **Impact:** Eligible for financial assistance through NAMASTE for procurement and deployment of mechanised sanitation equipment.
* **Action Required:** Explore application for upfront Capital Subsidy under NAMASTE to acquire mechanised sanitation equipment.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA): Primary ministry responsible for the initiatives related to mechanised cleaning equipment in Urban Local Bodies.
Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013: Legislation aimed at eliminating manual scavenging.
Urban Local Bodies (ULBs): Key entities targeted for mechanised cleaning equipment implementation and affected by related initiatives.
Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0: A national mission including Used Water Management (UWM) to promote sanitation and eliminate manual scavenging.
NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem): Scheme providing upfront capital subsidy to sanitation workers and private operators for mechanised sanitation equipment.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2149
TO BE ANSWERED ON FEBRUARY 12, 2026
ULBS EQUIPPED WITH MECHANISED CLEANING EQUIPMENTS
NO. 2149. THIRU DR. S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:
SMT. KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI:
Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the total number of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and municipalities
equipped with mechanised sewer and septic tank cleaning equipments
as of March 2025, State-wise;
(b) the number of ULBs that have fully eliminated manual entry into sewers
and septic tanks along with the certification or verification status
thereof;
(c) the number of inspections conducted under the Prohibition of
Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013
during the last five years and the details of the violations detected in this
regard; and
(d) whether the Government has issued any Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) or technical guidelines mandating the use of mechanical devices
for cleaning sewer lines and septic tanks and if so, the details thereof
including the year of issue?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
(SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)
(a) & (b) : Sanitation is a state subject, all State/UTs have been advised
to procure or lease necessary equipment to achieve 100% mechanization
of sewer and septic tank cleaning. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
(MoHUA) has identified required machinery and equipment for 100%
mechanized sewer and septic tank maintenance operation and facilitated
listing this equipment on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal to
facilitate easy procurement by States and ULBs.
MoHUA launched a SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar protocol for all
ULBs. Based on the protocol, a ULB can be declared as SafaiMitra
Surakshit if it attains at least ‘adequate’ status in each of the domains -
institutional domain, manpower domain, and equipment domains as
prescribed in the protocol. Currently, more than 3,489 ULBs have
declared themselves SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar.
…2/--2-
As per the information received from Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment (MoSJE), NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised
Sanitation Ecosystem) scheme provides for upfront Capital Subsidy to
Sanitation Workers and Private Sanitation Service Operators (PSSOs) for
procurement and deployment of mechanised sanitation equipment.
Further, under Swachhta Udyami Yojana (SUY), loan and upfront capital
subsidy is provided for procurement of mechanized cleaning equipments/
vehicles. Details of the direct loans and upfront capital subsidy provided
till March, 2025 under SUV is at Annexure.
(c) : MoSJE has informed that data of Inspections conducted by
States/UTs under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers
and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 is not maintained centrally.
(d) : With the objective of eradication of hazardous entry into sewers and
septic tanks, and sustaining elimination of manual scavenging, through
mechanization of sewer and septic tank cleaning operations, a new
component i.e. Used Water management (UWM) has been included under
Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U) 2.0.
MoHUA has issued an advisory on Emergency Response Sanitation
Unit (ERSU) to institutionalize safety practices and put in place
frameworks to mitigate the dangers of manual cleaning of sewer in 2019.
MoHUA has also issued SOP containing procedure to be followed during
mechanical and manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks in November,
2018.
Further, MoHUA has issued Model Empanelment and Contract
documents in June, 2025 to guide Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in engaging
Private Sanitation Service Operators (PSSOs). This framework aims to
establish clear legal and operational guidelines for delivering safe,
mechanized services in compliance with the Prohibition of Employment
as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act, 2013.
*****Annexure
Statement referred to the reply of the part (a) & (b) of the Lok Sabha
unstarred Question No. 2149 for 12.02.2026 regarding “ULBS Equipped
with Mechanised Cleaning Equipments”
State-Wise Progress under SUY as on March 2025
(₹ in lakhs)
Capital Subsidy to
Loans to ULBs by NSKFDC
beneficiaries
Loan
State/SCA/C No. Of
Capital No. amount
A No. of No. of Equipme
Subsidy of Released
ULBs Units nts /
released ULBs by
Units
NSKFDC
A & N
1 8 38.19 0 0.00 0
Islands
Andhra
28 239 2886.52 0 0.00 0
Pradesh
Bihar 1 1 4.61 1 534.06 21
Gujarat 1 11 81.32 0 0.00 0
Haryana 1 6 20.78 1 6.12 1
Jharkhand 1 7 27.09 0 0.00 0
Madhya
3 119 507.68 15 2601.36 131
Pradesh
Maharashtra 1 2 7.90 2 36.08 5
Odisha 2 9 62.43 0 0.00 0
Rajasthan 6 5 20.60 0 0.00 0
Tamil Nadu 2 9 158.84 0 0.00 0
Telangana 6 23 191.78 7 231.05 76
Uttar
2 57 217.87 1 35.46 4
Pradesh
Puducherry 0 0 0.00 1 289.34 6
Uttarakhand 0 0 0.00 1 550.47 56
Himachal
0 0 0.00 1 22.83 2
Pradesh
Grand Total 55 496 4225.61 30 4306.77 302