NAMASTE ERSU Statistics: Safety Kits for Emergency Response Sanitation Units
· 2 min read · 3 official sources
Under NAMASTE, 690 safety kits had been given to Emergency Response Sanitation Units by 31 December 2025, according to the Social Justice Ministry's Annual Report 2025-26. A Lok Sabha reply of December 2025 lists 653 ERSU safety device kits dispatched state by state, with Uttar Pradesh receiving the most.
NAMASTE, Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU) Formation and Functionalisation: key numbers
Infographic
Top 15 states by ERSU safety device kits (December 2025)
Safety device kits dispatched to Emergency Response Sanitation Units under NAMASTE, in the 15 states with the most, as tabled in the Lok Sabha on 2 December 2025. The all-India total in this table was 653.
| State | Safety device kits dispatched to ERSUs |
|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 75 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 55 |
| Maharashtra | 45 |
| Karnataka | 42 |
| Chhattisgarh | 38 |
| Telangana | 37 |
| Rajasthan | 36 |
| Gujarat | 32 |
| Assam | 31 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 26 |
| West Bengal | 26 |
| Jharkhand | 24 |
| Punjab | 23 |
| Bihar | 22 |
| Haryana | 22 |
Source: sansad.in, as on 2 December 2025
Top 12 states by validated sewer and septic tank workers (December 2025)
Sewer and septic tank workers validated under NAMASTE, with PPE kits delivered, in the 12 states with the most workers. These are the workers ERSUs are meant to protect.
| State | Validated workers | PPE kits delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 12,418 | 11,414 |
| Maharashtra | 8,600 | 7,973 |
| Gujarat | 7,633 | 7,345 |
| West Bengal | 7,630 | 7,628 |
| Tamil Nadu | 6,981 | 6,981 |
| Karnataka | 6,308 | 6,300 |
| Punjab | 4,463 | 4,407 |
| Rajasthan | 4,037 | 4,021 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 4,017 | 4,005 |
| Telangana | 3,796 | 3,807 |
| Delhi | 3,649 | 3,626 |
| Bihar | 3,462 | 3,461 |
Source: sansad.in, as on 2 December 2025
NAMASTE (and earlier SRMS) spending by year
Revised estimate and actual spending by the Ministry on NAMASTE and the earlier self-employment scheme for manual scavengers it replaced. The 2025-26 figure is up to 31 December 2025. This covers the whole scheme, not only ERSUs.
| Year | Revised estimate (Rs crore) | Expenditure (Rs crore) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 43.31 | 39.00 |
| 2022-23 | 70.00 | 11.10 |
| 2023-24 | 30.06 | 30.06 |
| 2024-25 | 50.00 | 47.625 |
| 2025-26 | 110.00 | 93.94 |
Source: socialjustice.gov.in, as on 31 December 2025
How an ERSU is set up under NAMASTE
What the numbers show
Emergency Response Sanitation Units are teams set up by urban local bodies so that sewers and septic tanks are cleaned with machines and safety gear instead of hazardous manual entry. NAMASTE supplies these units with safety device kits. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Annual Report 2025-26 says 690 ERSU safety kits had been distributed by 31 December 2025. During 2025-26 alone, 336 were ordered or dispatched.
State differences
A Lok Sabha reply of 2 December 2025 gives the state-wise picture, with 653 kits dispatched by that date. Uttar Pradesh received 75, Madhya Pradesh 55 and Maharashtra 45. Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep had received none, and several small states and union territories had one to three kits each. The number of kits depends on how many units a state's urban local bodies have formed, so it does not track the number of workers exactly. Tamil Nadu, for example, had 6,981 validated workers but no ERSU kits in that table.
The workers behind the units
The same reply lists validated sewer and septic tank workers. Uttar Pradesh had 12,418, Maharashtra 8,600 and Gujarat 7,633. By 31 December 2025 the national count was 89,114, according to a March 2026 reply, and 85,743 PPE kits had been ordered or dispatched.
Spending
Spending on NAMASTE, including the older self-employment scheme for manual scavengers it absorbed, was Rs 11.10 crore in 2022-23 against a revised estimate of Rs 70 crore. It rose to Rs 47.625 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 93.94 crore in 2025-26 up to December. These totals cover all parts of NAMASTE, not only ERSUs.
What the figures do not tell you
The official tables count kits dispatched, not how many ERSUs are fully working or how many emergency calls they have handled. The ministry has not published a separate count of ERSUs formed nationwide in these documents.
Where to check
State-wise progress appears in written replies to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on sansad.in, and in the Ministry's annual report.
Frequently asked questions
How many ERSU safety kits have been given out under NAMASTE?
690 ERSU safety kits had been distributed by 31 December 2025, according to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Annual Report 2025-26. During 2025-26 alone, 336 ERSU safety kits were ordered or dispatched.
Which state has received the most ERSU safety kits?
Uttar Pradesh, with 75 safety device kits dispatched to ERSUs as per a Lok Sabha reply of 2 December 2025, followed by Madhya Pradesh (55) and Maharashtra (45).
How many sewer and septic tank workers are covered by NAMASTE?
89,114 sewer and septic tank workers had been validated under NAMASTE as on 31 December 2025, according to a Lok Sabha reply of 17 March 2026.
How much has the government spent on NAMASTE?
The Ministry spent Rs 47.625 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 93.94 crore in 2025-26 up to 31 December 2025, against revised estimates of Rs 50 crore and Rs 110 crore. These figures cover the whole scheme.
Why do the two ERSU kit figures differ?
They are from different dates and documents. The Lok Sabha table of 2 December 2025 shows 653 kits dispatched, while the Annual Report gives 690 kits distributed by 31 December 2025.
Eligibility, documents and how to apply: NAMASTE, Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU) Formation and Functionalisation full guide
Charts, data files and the infographic are free to download, share and embed with a link back to this page.
Sources
This guide was checked against these official pages:
- socialjustice.gov.in (socialjustice.gov.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/71441776233188.pdf)
- sansad.in (sansad.in/getFile/lsapps/loksabhaquestions/annex/186/AU265_gc5xEc.pdf?source=lsa)
- sansad.in (sansad.in/getFile/lsapps/loksabhaquestions/annex/187/AU4091_3fHqgc.pdf?source=ls)