Why in the News?

• The Government is considering expanding the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) from urban areas to rural India, while recent government data highlight the progress as well as continuing challenges in ensuring the safety, dignity and rehabilitation of sanitation workers.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About NAMASTE Scheme (Objectives, Key Components, Progress, Achievements, etc.)
• News Summary

NAMASTE Scheme

• The NAMASTE Scheme was launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• The scheme seeks to replace hazardous manual cleaning practices with mechanised sanitation solutions while improving the safety and socioeconomic conditions of sanitation workers.
• The initial focus was on sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) and was subsequently expanded to include waste pickers.
• The broader approach of NAMASTE is based on three interconnected objectives:

• Eliminating hazardous manual cleaning practices.
• Improving occupational safety and dignity.
• Providing livelihood, skill development and social-security support.

Key Components of NAMASTE

• Mechanisation and Capital Assistance
  • The scheme provides financial assistance to eligible sanitation workers for procuring mechanised cleaning equipment.
  • This enables workers and sanitation enterprises to transition from hazardous manual cleaning towards safer mechanised operations.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • The scheme provides PPE kits to sanitation workers and waste pickers.
  • PPE is particularly important because workers may remain exposed to occupational hazards even when mechanised equipment is used.
• Training and Skill Development
  • NAMASTE also provides occupational safety and skill development training.
  • The objective is to equip workers with the technical and safety skills required to operate mechanised sanitation equipment and undertake sanitation-related activities safely.
• Health and Social Security
  • The scheme also seeks to strengthen social protection for sanitation workers through access to health insurance and other welfare measures.
  • This is important because sanitation workers face occupational risks as well as broader socioeconomic vulnerabilities.
• Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers
  • NAMASTE is complemented by measures for the rehabilitation of identified manual scavengers.
  • The Government has undertaken surveys to identify persons engaged in manual scavenging and subsequently provide rehabilitation assistance.

Progress & Achievements Under NAMASTE

• These figures indicate that the scheme is combining mechanisation with occupational safety and social protection rather than treating mechanisation as a standalone intervention.
• Rehabilitation of Identified Manual Scavengers
  • Surveys conducted in 2013 and 2018 identified 58,098 manual scavengers across the country. According to the Government:
    • All identified beneficiaries have received one-time cash assistance.
    • 27,926 beneficiaries have undergone skill development training.
    • 2,803 beneficiaries have received capital subsidy for establishing general self-employment projects.
  • These measures are intended to provide alternative livelihood opportunities and facilitate the socioeconomic rehabilitation of identified manual scavengers.

News Summary

• The Central government has proposed expanding NAMASTE from towns and cities to rural areas.
• The proposed expansion would broaden the categories of workers covered by the scheme to include:
  • Drain cleaners
  • Workers in sewage treatment plants (STPs)
  • Workers in faecal sludge treatment plants
• The proposed expanded scheme would have an estimated outlay of approximately 498.73 crore, to be spent from the current financial year through 2030-31.
• The proposed expansion is significant because hazardous sanitation work is not confined to urban sewer and septic tank systems.
• Extending mechanisation and occupational-safety interventions to rural sanitation infrastructure could widen the reach of the programme.

Significance

• The expansion of NAMASTE reflects a shift towards a more comprehensive approach to sanitation-worker welfare.
• The central objective is not merely to prevent manual entry into sewers and septic tanks but to create an ecosystem in which sanitation workers have access to:
  • Mechanised equipment
  • Occupational safety training
  • Protective equipment
  • Health insurance
  • Skill development
  • Alternative livelihood opportunities
• The proposed rural expansion is particularly important because sanitation infrastructure is increasingly being developed beyond major urban centres.
• At the same time, the gaps identified in capital subsidy approvals and disbursements demonstrate that effective implementation and timely access to financial assistance remain critical challenges.

Context

• Environmental regulation in India seeks to balance economic development with ecological sustainability.
• The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 makes prior Environmental Clearance (EC) mandatory for specified projects so that environmental risks are assessed before construction or operations begin.
• The Supreme Court’s July 29, 2026 judgment in Vanashakti vs Union of India has clarified the legal position on projects that commenced without prior EC while leaving limited scope for addressing genuine legacy violations.

Prior Environmental Clearance as a Legal Imperative

• Preventive Nature of Environmental Regulation
  • The Court reaffirmed that prior EC is a mandatory legal requirement, rather than a procedural formality that can be fulfilled retrospectively.
  • Environmental assessment is intended to be preventive, enabling authorities to examine ecological risks, alternatives and mitigation measures before a project begins.
• Preventing the Violate First, Regularise Later Approach
  • Routine post-facto approval could create a violate first, regularise later culture and weaken environmental governance.
  • Project proponents therefore cannot treat retrospective clearance as an alternative to obtaining mandatory approval before commencement.

Closure of Earlier Violation Mechanisms

• End of the 2017 and 2021 Routes
  • Project proponents that commenced construction or operations without prior EC and did not utilise earlier violation mechanisms cannot now seek regularisation under the 2017 Notification or 2021 Standard Operating Procedure.
• Implications for Existing Projects
  • The decision affects numerous industrial, infrastructure, commercial and real-estate projects with unresolved environmental violations.
  • The immediate message is clear: mandatory environmental approvals must be obtained before project commencement.

Administrative Instructions versus Statutory Authority

• Limits of Office Memoranda
  • An administrative Office Memorandum cannot override the statutory requirement of prior EC.
  • Executive instructions cannot independently create a broad mechanism for retrospective environmental approval.
• Scope under the Environment (Protection) Act
  • The Central Government retains powers under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to formulate environmental measures through legally authorised statutory action.
  • Thus, while administrative instructions cannot dilute statutory requirements, a properly framed statutory mechanism remains legally possible.

Balancing Environmental Protection and Public Interest

• Risks of Blanket Regularisation
  • Unrestricted regularisation could weaken environmental law and encourage deliberate violations.
  • It could also undermine the credibility of the prior-EC regime by creating an expectation that non-compliance can eventually be resolved through payment or retrospective approval.
• Problems with Indiscriminate Closure
  • Conversely, automatic closure or demolition of every violating project may not always serve environmental or public interest, particularly where substantial investment has already occurred or where projects provide essential infrastructure or public utilities.
• The Middle Path
  • The appropriate approach is to distinguish between legitimising violations and responsibly managing legacy violations.
  • Environmental governance must combine strict enforcement with practical, scientifically informed solutions.

Possibility of a Fresh Statutory Framework

• Government’s Discretion
  • The Court has not directed the Central Government to introduce a new regularisation scheme.
  • It has merely recognised that such intervention may be considered in the larger public interest.
• Essential Safeguards
  • If a new mechanism is introduced, it should be:
    • One-time and exceptional, rather than permanent.
    • Based on clear statutory authority.
    • Supported by environmental damage assessment.
    • Accompanied by remediation and environmental compensation.
    • Subject to strict future compliance and monitoring.
    • Based on clearly defined eligibility criteria.
  • Such safeguards would prevent any new framework from becoming an incentive for future violations.

Wider Implications for Environmental Governance

• Strengthening Regulatory Certainty
  • The judgment reinforces regulatory certainty and environmental rule of law.
  • Developers and implementing agencies cannot routinely rely on regulatory uncertainty or mistaken interpretation to bypass mandatory approvals.
• Scientific and Accountable Regulation
  • Effective environmental governance requires more than permissions and prohibitions.
  • Scientific assessment, ecological restoration, compensation, monitoring and long-term compliance are essential for meaningful environmental protection.
• Strengthening Institutional Capacity
  • The government must also improve preventive enforcement through digital monitoring, effective inspections, timely regulatory decisions and better coordination between authorities.
  • Stronger institutions can reduce the emergence of future violation cases. 

The Road Ahead

• The earlier 2017 and 2021 mechanisms are no longer available for fresh applications.
• Whether a new statutory framework is created rests entirely with the Central Government.
• If such a mechanism is considered necessary, it should be transparent, time-bound, scientifically grounded and narrowly targeted.
• Projects involving serious or irreversible ecological damage should face stronger restrictions, while cases involving limited or procedural violations may be assessed according to objective environmental criteria.
• The priority must simultaneously remain on preventing new violations through stronger compliance systems and more effective environmental monitoring.

Conclusion

• The Vanashakti judgment establishes a middle path between blanket retrospective regularisation and indiscriminate punitive action.
• It firmly protects the principle that environmental clearance must ordinarily precede project commencement while recognising the practical challenge posed by existing legacy violations.
• Any future intervention must ensure that environmental violations are neither rewarded nor ignored.
• Statutory legitimacy, environmental accountability, scientific assessment, remediation and strict compliance should form its foundation.

Context

• India’s fiscal outlook for 2026–27 is being shaped by tax reforms, geopolitical instability, crude oil prices, and expenditure pressures.
• Recent rationalisation of personal income tax (PIT) and GST rates has temporarily weakened tax collections, while the West Asian crisis has raised energy costs and subsidy requirements.
• Nevertheless, strong non-tax revenues, RBI dividends, policy interventions, and robust capital expenditure are likely to keep fiscal outcomes broadly aligned with budgetary targets.

Centre’s Revenue Receipts

• According to CGA data, gross tax revenue grew by only 3.7% in the first quarter of 2026–27, mainly because of weak PIT and GST collections.
• PIT growth, which was almost stagnant at 0.037% in 2025–26, improved to 6.8% in the first quarter. However, GST revenue contracted by 11%, reflecting the continuing revenue impact of earlier rate reductions.
• The West Asian crisis further strained revenue mobilisation by pushing up global crude oil prices.
• To protect consumers from rising fuel prices, the government reduced excise duties, causing Union excise revenue to contract by 22.4% during the quarter.
• The government responded by introducing the Health Security se National Security (HSNS) Cess, raising the windfall tax on petroleum exports, and increasing import duties on gold, silver and other precious metals.
• These measures aim to compensate for revenue losses.
• Higher-than-budgeted nominal GDP growth of 12.5–13%, supported by real growth of around 7% and moderate inflation, may also strengthen tax collections.
• Yet nominal GDP is estimated at ₹391 lakh crore against the budgeted ₹393 lakh crore. Hence, gross tax revenue is likely to meet the target or fall short only marginally.

Transfers to States

• The Sixteenth Finance Commission retained States’ share at 41% of the divisible pool of central taxes.
• However, the introduction of the non-shareable HSNS Cess may marginally reduce the pool available for devolution.
• Tax devolution to States contracted sharply by 19.5% in the first quarter, although an improvement is expected later as central tax collections strengthen.
• Finance Commission grants to States are also budgeted to decline by ₹23,556 crores.
• Maintaining adequate transfers remains essential for cooperative federalism, particularly when States themselves face expenditure and revenue pressures.

The Role of Non-Tax Revenue

• Strong non-tax revenue has emerged as a major fiscal stabiliser. The RBI transferred a substantial dividend to the Centre in May 2026, covering 77% of the budgeted annual dividends and profits within the first three months.
• Non-tax revenues contributed 37% of net revenue receipts during the first quarter.
• The government also expects its budgeted non-debt capital receipts to be realised.
• These inflows have helped compensate for weak tax collections and strengthened the Centre’s revenue position without requiring additional borrowing.

Expenditure Pressures and Capital Spending

• Higher crude oil prices forced major subsidies to rise by 37.4% in the first quarter.
• If this trend continues, annual subsidies could exceed the budget estimate by approximately ₹50,000 crores.
• Despite this pressure, revenue expenditure growth remained contained at 7.4%. More importantly, capital expenditure increased by 23.7%, reversing the 23.3% contraction recorded in the previous quarter.
• Strong public capital spending can support infrastructure development, employment, productivity and long-term economic growth, making it important to protect capital expenditure even during periods of fiscal stress.

Debt and Fiscal Deficit

• The Centre’s first-quarter fiscal deficit represented 18.2% of the annual budget estimate, while the revenue deficit accounted for only 0.4%.
• Strong non-debt receipts, particularly the RBI dividend, have supported the revenue account.
• The fiscal deficit is estimated at ₹18.16 lakh crore, equivalent to around 4.6% of GDP, while the debt-to-GDP ratio is estimated at 55.8%.
• These levels remain broadly consistent with budgetary expectations.
• However, some fiscal slippage could result from weak tax collections, higher subsidies, and external debt pressures caused by rupee depreciation.

Geopolitical Risks and Fiscal Sustainability

• The West Asian crisis remains the biggest external risk to India’s fiscal position.
• As a major crude oil importer, India is vulnerable to higher energy prices, which can increase the import bill, inflation, subsidies and production costs while weakening consumption and GST collections.
• A prolonged conflict could therefore simultaneously increase expenditure and reduce revenue, complicating fiscal consolidation.
• Conversely, easing geopolitical tensions would moderate crude prices, reduce subsidy requirements and improve economic activity.
• Fiscal sustainability will consequently depend not only on domestic tax reforms but also on the trajectory of global energy markets.

Conclusion

• India’s fiscal position in 2026–27 remains resilient but vulnerable to external shocks.
• Weak PIT and GST collections, lower fuel excise revenue and rising subsidies have created pressures, but these are being offset by RBI dividends, non-tax receipts, new revenue measures and strong capital expenditure.
• The Centre is therefore likely to remain broadly on track with its fiscal targets.
• However, sustained fiscal discipline will require careful subsidy management, stronger tax buoyancy and protection of productive capital spending.
• Above all, an escalation of geopolitical tensions could significantly alter the fiscal outlook, making energy security and prudent fiscal management central to India’s economic stability.

About Dimna Lake:

• It is an artificial lake located in the steel city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.
• It is located in the foothills of the Dalma mountain range.
• Construction:
  • Constructed under the Dimna Nala Water Supply Scheme by Tata Steel, the reservoir was built to meet the future water needs of a rapidly expanding industrial city.
  • Work on the project began in 1940 and was completed in 1944, with water from the lake supplied to Jamshedpur for the first time on April 17, 1944.
  • The lake was created by damming the Subarnarekha River.
• This lake is near the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to several species of deer and other animals like the sloth bear and the Indian wolf.
• The lake has facilities for water sports like jet skiing, rowing, and water scooting.

About National Medical Commission (NMC):

• It is a statutory body constituted by the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, which came into force in 2020.
• It replaced the Medical Council of India (MCI) and serves as the top regulatory authority for medical education, medical professionals, and medical institutions in India.
• It grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, monitors medical practice, and assesses the medical infrastructure in India.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Functions:
  • Establish Policies and Regulations: Laying down policies to maintain high quality and standards in medical education and making necessary regulations.
  • Regulate Medical Institutions and Professionals: Developing policies to regulate medical institutions, research and professionals.
  • Assess Healthcare Needs: Assessing the requirements in healthcare, including human resources and healthcare infrastructure, and developing a roadmap to meet these needs.
  • Coordinate Autonomous Boards: Promoting, coordinating, and framing guidelines for the proper functioning of the Commission, Autonomous Boards, and State Medical Councils.
  • Ensure Compliance: Ensuring that State Medical Councils comply with the guidelines and regulations framed by the NMC.
  • Exercise Appellate Jurisdiction: Acting as an appellate body for decisions made by the Autonomous Boards.
  • Promote Ethical Conduct: Laying down policies and codes to ensure observance of professional ethics in the medical profession.
  • Frame Fee Guidelines: Framing guidelines for determining fees and other charges for 50% of seats in private medical institutions and deemed universities.
  • Other Powers and Functions: Performing such other functions as may be prescribed.
• Composition:
  • It consists of 33 members, including the Chairperson (medical professionals only), 10 ex-officio members and 22 part-time members.
  • Medical Advisory Council: It provides the platform through which the States or UTs can put forth their views and concerns before the NMC and advises the NMC on measures to determine and maintain minimum standards of medical education.
  • Four autonomous boards:
    • Under-Graduate Medical Education Board
    • Post-Graduate Medical Education Board
    • Medical Assessment and Rating Board
    • Ethics and Medical Registration Board.

About Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project:

• It is a 1,856-MW hydropower plant on the Chenab River in the Udhampur and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It has been designed as a run-of-the-river scheme located between the Baglihar project upstream and the Salal project downstream, making it part of a continuous chain of hydropower installations on the Chenab.
• It will be the largest hydroelectric project in the Union Territory and one of the biggest in North India.
• It is being built by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
• It will comprise nine turbines and an underground power station.
• It will produce around 8000 million units of electricity every year.
• By regulating the flow of the Chenab River, the Sawalkote project could contribute to flood mitigation downstream, while also ensuring better water management for agriculture and domestic use.
• It is a key part of India’s plan to fully utilise its share of water from the western rivers under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
• It is the first major hydropower project on the Indus river to be accorded environmental clearance following India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack.

About Psammophaga holzmannae and Psammophaga sinhai:

• They are two new species of microscopic marine organisms that selectively pick up and swallow specific mineral grains from the seafloor.
• They were found at Rajapuri Creek in Raigad district along Maharashtra’s Konkan coast.
• Psammophaga is a type of foraminifera, a group of microscopic organisms commonly found in oceans.
• The name comes from Greek words meaning 'sand eater'.
• Unlike many foraminifera that have hard, multi-chambered shells, these organisms have just one chamber and a soft wall made mainly of very fine clay particles.
• The most interesting discovery was what the organisms choose to eat.
  • Both species selectively take in heavy minerals containing titanium and iron. These include ilmenite and magnetite.
  • This is important because these minerals occur only in small amounts in the surrounding sediment.
• How do they do it?
  • Psammophaga uses thin, temporary hair-like extensions called granuloreticulopodia.
  • These extend from the aperture and help the organism interact with the surrounding sediment.
  • Scientists believe these extensions may help the organism detect differences between mineral grains, although the exact mechanism is still not known.

About Methamphetamine:

• It is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system.
• It is also known as meth, chalk, ice, and crystal.
• It was developed early in the 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.
• Properties of Methamphetamine:
  • It is a member of the class of amphetamines.
  • It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.
  • It has a role as a neurotoxin, a psychotropic drug, a central nervous system stimulant, a xenobiotic and an environmental contaminant.
• Impact of Methamphetamine on Humans:
  • It causes increased activity and talkativeness, decreased appetite, and a pleasurable sense of well-being or euphoria. 
  • The use of methamphetamine in higher doses can induce psychosis, bleeding in the brain, skeletal muscle breakdown, and seizures.