NCSK to launch missed call facility to address grievances of safai karmacharis

NCSK to launch missed call facility to address grievances of safai karmacharis The commission is engaging with the Labour Ministry to raise the minimum wages of safai karmacharis to be on par with those of skilled or semi-skilled workers.

Key points

• The profiling work for sewer and septic tank workers seems to be frozen at around 90, 000 workers.
• The missed call facility will launch on NCSK's foundation day on August 23.
• He additionally stated the panel has taken up work related to the NAMASTE scheme for sewer and septic tank workers.

Safai Karmachari Andolan workers along with the family members of the individuals who were killed in sewer and septic tanks, stage a protest to demand an immediate stop on killings of workers in sewers and septic tanks. Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap.

For context, the National Commission for Safai Karmacharis (NCSK) will introduce a missed call facility for safai karmacharis to register grievances, vice-chairperson Hardeep Singh Gill remarked on Friday (August 21, 2026).

He remarked since taking charge in February this year, he has focused on ensuring prompt compensation for sewer deaths and is engaging with the Labour Ministry to raise the minimum wages of safai karmacharis to be on par with those of skilled or semi-skilled workers.

Meanwhile, the missed call facility will launch on NCSK's foundation day on August 23.

Mr. Gill remarked the commission has been looking into a number of aspects, such as making it easier for safai karmacharis to report complaints, regularising workers engaged on a contract basis, and engaging with various Union Ministries to ensure directives are issued for maintaining dignified and safe working conditions. He additionally stated the panel has taken up work related to the NAMASTE scheme for sewer and septic tank workers.

"The profiling work for sewer and septic tank workers seems to be frozen at around 90, 000 workers. This is largely since the State administrations in a number of places are holding up the validation of these workers. The NCSK is now thinking of recommending a separate mechanism to register sewer workers nationwide who are being left out in the NAMASTE profiling, " Mr. Gill remarked.

In a letter sent to the Labour Minister in May this year, the NCSK asked for safai karmacharis to be paid on par with skilled or semi-skilled workers, requested directions to prevent women cleaning staff from starting their shifts as early as 5 a.m., and sought a secure insurance policy for the workers that recognises the dangers of their occupation, Mr. Gill remarked.

Meanwhile, a NCSK official remarked the missed call facility will serve as a pilot project to check the volume of grievances, and eventually, a call centre will be set up at the NCSK offices based on this data.

For now, NCSK to launch missed call facility to address grievances of safai karmacharis remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.