BusinessWire India
New Delhi [India], August 7: Seeking innovative solutions to improve the safety of sanitation workers, Reckitt and the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) have launched the SAFER Challenge (Sanitation Worker Assistance for Fatality Elimination & Risk Reduction), a first-of-its-kind national innovation challenge inviting startups, engineers, researchers, academic institutions and technology innovators to develop affordable, wearable gas detection devices that can help improve safety during sewer and septic tank cleaning operations.
Launched under Reckitt's Harpic World Toilet College, the initiative underscores the commitment to 'A Roadmap to Zero Sanitation Fatalities.' By encouraging practical and scalable technological solutions, the challenge aims to enhance hazardous gas detection, minimize occupational risks, and drive safer sanitation practices through innovation.
As India continues to strengthen its sanitation infrastructure, ensuring the safety of sanitation workers remains an equally important challenge. Exposure to toxic gases and oxygen-deficient environments remains one of the leading causes of fatalities. Through the SAFER Challenge, Reckitt and ASCI aim to encourage innovations that can strengthen worker safety while complementing India's efforts towards safer and more mechanised sanitation systems.
Applications are now open for startups, individual engineers, designers and innovators from across India to develop deployable technologies capable of detecting hazardous gases in real time. The challenge is looking for solutions that are affordable, easy to use in field conditions and designed to support timely intervention during sanitation operations. The initiative aligns with the Government of India's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and complements programmes such as Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, NAMASTE and the Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge.
Speaking at the launch, Ravi Bhatnagar, Communications and Corporate Affairs Director, South Asia, MENARP and Africa, said, "India has made significant progress in expanding toilet access; the next phase must focus on making sanitation safer, more efficient and sustainable. At Reckitt, doing the right thing always is at the core of how we operate, ensuring our actions create a long-term positive impact for communities. Through the Harpic World Toilet College, we have been strengthening the sanitation ecosystem by building skills and championing dignity and safety for sanitation workers. With SAFER, launched in partnership with ASCI, we are extending this commitment by enabling scalable innovations to address critical safety challenges. By bridging innovation with on-ground impact, we aim to deliver better health in more hands every day."
Dr. B. Janardhan Reddy, IAS (Retd.), Director - CEUG&ID, ASCI, said, "Every statistic in our database represents a life lost that could have been saved. This challenge is not about technology alone, but about restoring dignity and ensuring that no worker has to risk their life to keep our cities clean. By connecting technology, policy and people, we aim to close the safety gap that has persisted for decades."
The National Innovation Challenge will be guided by a distinguished Steering Committee comprising leading experts from public health, sanitation, governance, urban development, water and hygiene sector. The Steering Committee will be chaired by Prof. Ravi Bhatnagar, Communications and Corporate Affairs Director, South Asia, MENARP and Africa, Reckitt, and will include Dr. Ramakant, Deputy Advisor, Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Padma Shri Prof. (Dr.) Indira Chakravarty, Renowned Public Health and Environment Expert and Dr. B. Janardhan Reddy, IAS (Retd.), Centre Director, CEUG&ID, Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI).
The challenge will be evaluated by an esteemed jury comprising Mr. Sahil Talwar, Director - Impact Initiatives & Partnerships, Jagran Pehel; Mr. Asad Umar, Sector Lead and Director, WASH, Aga Khan Foundation; Dr. M. Snehalatha, Associate Professor, CEUG&ID, ASCI; and Dr. Vivek Singh Chauhan, Senior Manager, Partnerships, Reckitt.
The SAFER Challenge will be implemented in three phases--Pitch, Pilot and Scale. Entries will first be evaluated by a multidisciplinary jury comprising academicians, government officials, sanitation experts and sanitation worker representatives. Shortlisted innovations will then be piloted with sanitation workers and Urban Local Bodies before being supported for wider adoption through government and industry platforms.
Selected participants will receive mentorship, opportunities for field validation, access to Urban Local Bodies, interactions with senior government officials and policy experts, national visibility, and support for pilot deployment and future scale-up.
The Challenge also offers cash grants of Rs. 5 lakh for the winner, Rs. 2 lakh for the first runner-up and Rs. 1 lakh for the second runner-up, along with opportunities for wider adoption of their innovations. Applications are open until 1 September, with winners to be announced on 2 October.
Interested innovators can submit their applications at https://asci.org.in/safer.
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