Scholarship
Self Employment Scheme For Rehabilitation Of Manual Scavengers(SRMS)
Overview
About SRMS
The Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) is a central sector scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It was introduced in January 2007 and revised in November 2013. The National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), a government undertaking under the same ministry, is its designated nodal agency for implementation.
The scheme's purpose is to help identified manual scavengers and their dependants leave the occupation and rehabilitate in alternative work. Its support is composite rather than a single grant: a one-time cash assistance to each identified worker, a credit-linked capital subsidy backed by concessional loans for a self-employment project, and skill development training that pays a monthly stipend to whoever opts for it.
Who qualifies is tied to the government's own surveys. The beneficiaries are the manual scavengers those surveys identify, together with their dependants, and the money is meant to set up a trade or small business rather than to serve as ongoing relief. From 2023-24, the rehabilitation and self-employment support SRMS offered has been folded into the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), which the ministry runs in convergence with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, so anyone tracing this benefit today should read the two schemes together.
Sources: myScheme (Government of India) - Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers · Accountability Initiative - Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) · Department of Social Justice and Empowerment - National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)
Who runs it
Provider
Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment
Central Government
Department of Social Justice & Empowerment · National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC)
At a glance
Key details
| Level | Central |
| Scheme type | Central Sector Scheme |
| Category | Skills & Employment, Social welfare & Empowerment, Education & Learning |
| Beneficiaries | Individual, Family |
| Benefit type | Composite |
| Application mode | Offline, Online |
Calendar
Important dates
Across all open application cycles.
| Cycle | Stage | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Current | Applications open | 2013-01-01 |
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
| The applicant should be engaged or employed as a Manual Scavenger by an individual or a local authority or an agency or a contractor (as identified during the survey conducted by State Governments & allotted MS-ID/Receipt No. and their dependents). | |
| Sanitation Workers and their dependents are eligible only for assistance for sanitation-related self-employment projects. |
What you get
Award & benefits
- Identified manual scavengers, one from each family, are provided one-time cash assistance of ₹ 40,000.
- The identified manual scavengers and their dependents are provided project-based upfront capital subsidy up to ₹ 5,00,000 and concessional loans for undertaking self-employment ventures.
- Sanitation workers and their dependants are provided assistance for the procurement of sanitation-related projects on the same scale as admissible to manual scavengers for general tasks.
- The group of the target beneficiaries is eligible for projects costing up to ₹ 50,00,000.
- Beneficiaries are also provided training for skill development for up to two years, during which a stipend of ₹ 3,000 per month is also provided.
- Manual Scavengers and their family members are also eligible for Health Insurance coverage of ₹ 5,00,000 under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY)
- Upskilling/RPL training is provided to sanitation workers.
- Workshops are organized with the officers, supervisors, and sanitation workers on “Hazardous Cleaning of Sewers and Septic Tanks”.
- Credit Linked upfront Capital Subsidy -
- Range of Project Cost (₹) (for Individuals): Upto ₹5,00,000
- Rate of Subsidy: 50% of project cost
- Range of Project Cost (₹) (for Individuals): 5,00,000 to 15,00,000
- Rate of Subsidy: ₹2.5 lakh + 25% of remaining project cost
- Range of Project Cost (₹) (for Group Projects): Upto ₹10,00,000 lakh per beneficiary maximum project cost upto ₹50,00,000
- Rate of Subsidy: Same as admissible to individuals subject to a maximum ₹3.75 lakh per beneficiary
- The rate of interest chargeable from the beneficiaries will be as follows:-
- Range of Projects: up to ₹1,00,000/-
- Rate of Subsidy: 5% per annum (4% per annum for women beneficiaries)
- Range of Projects: above 1,00,000/-
- Rate of Subsidy: 6% per annum
- The period of repayment of the loan, including the moratorium period will be five years for projects upto ₹5,00,000/- and 7 years for projects above ₹ 5,00,000/- with a moratorium period to start the repayment of the loan will be upto 6 months.
What to prepare
Documents required
Step by step
How to apply
- 1Apply offline
https://nskfdc.nic.in/en/node/add/srms-projects-loan-form
- 2Apply online
https://nskfdc.nic.in/en/node/add/srms-projects-loan-form
Questions
SRMS – FAQ
Disclaimer
Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles — always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.