Newdelhi:16/9/26; Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today launched the Web Portal for Special Campaign 6, saying that the Swachhata campaign launched in 2014 has evolved from a simple cleanliness initiative into a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation movement, and has so far earned Rs 5,000 crores has been earned through scrap disposal, bringing about behavioural change, improving efficiency in government functioning and creating economic value from waste
Addressing the launch programme Dr. Jitendra Singh said the campaign reflects the citizen-centric approach of the Government and demonstrates how a national call can become a people’s movement when it addresses foundational issues affecting the everyday lives of citizens.The launch event was attended by Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma; Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Shri T.K. Anil Kumar; Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Shri Keshav Chandra; Secretary, Department of Posts, Shri Subrat Das; senior officers and nodal officers representing various Ministries and Departments, besides media representatives.
The campaign has demonstrated that systematic cleanliness and waste management can also generate substantial economic value. Over the last five years, 5,000 crores have been earned through scrap disposal, while 1,000 lakh square feet of office space has been freed, more than 24 lakh cleanliness campaign sites have been undertaken and around 2 crore files have been weeded out for improved record management. These achievements reflect the expansion of the campaign beyond cleanliness to efficient utilisation of government resources, reduction of pendency, better use of public spaces and conversion of waste into wealth.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the dedicated campaign period from October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, to October 31, Sardar Patel Jayanti, should not be seen as a period during which cleanliness activities are undertaken only for a month. Rather, the campaign serves as an annual reiteration of the resolve and commitment to maintain cleanliness, efficiency and responsiveness throughout the year. He said the experience accumulated through successive editions has provided a strong foundation for Special Campaign 6 and would enable the campaign to move forward with greater focus and effectiveness.
Secretary, DARPG, Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma, said Special Campaign 6 is not merely about cleaning files and offices but about redefining the culture of governance by making efficiency, cleanliness and responsiveness an everyday feature of government functioning. She said the campaign has grown into a nationwide movement involving offices and public spaces across the country, including remote locations, public sector undertakings, autonomous organisations, missions abroad and citizen-facing establishments such as post offices, schools and railway stations.
