New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday launched a city-wide cleanliness campaign that will run till October 2, with the government announcing a ward-level competition and financial incentives of up to Rs 1 crore for the best-performing wards every month.
The ‘Delhi Ko Kude Se Azadi-Swachhta Abhiyan 2026’, launched at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters, seeks to improve sanitation, strengthen waste management and encourage residents to take greater responsibility for keeping their neighbourhoods clean.
Gupta said cleanliness cannot be left to a particular department or civic agency and that it has to become a shared responsibility of Delhi’s residents.
“The objective is not merely to run cleanliness drives, but to make cleanliness a part of people’s daily behaviour and lifestyle,” she said.
Under the campaign, the cleanest ward will receive Rs 1 crore every month based on its performance. A ward that continues to perform exceptionally well could receive additional incentives, with a maximum of Rs 12 crore available over the year from the Chief Minister’s Development Fund, according to the government.
The wards will be assessed using reports from an independent agency, officials’ reports and complaints received from residents and through social media. A ward could also be disqualified if garbage-related complaints are found to be valid, the chief minister said in a statement.
Union Minister of State and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said the campaign was aimed at making cleanliness a part of people’s “thinking and behaviour”, rather than treating it as an occasional exercise.
Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said the campaign was intended to change not only the appearance of Delhi but also the way people approach cleanliness.
“The cleanliness of a neighbourhood, park, road or back lane should matter to citizens just as much as the cleanliness of their homes,” he said.
Mayor Pravesh Wahi said better coordination between the Delhi government and the MCD was helping strengthen waste management, sanitation and the upkeep of public spaces.
The campaign will focus on what the government described as the four ‘Cs’ of waste management — collection, cleaning, conversion and circular economy.
Source segregation, timely collection and scientific processing of waste will be prioritised, along with efforts to turn waste into resources and promote green fuel and a circular economy.
The government has also planned a series of targeted drives during the campaign. Special cleanliness drives will be held in slum clusters on August 23 and 30 and September 6 and 13, while public toilets will receive special attention on weekends, the statement read.
A campaign to clear green waste from parks will be held from September 1 to 10, while government hospitals will see special cleanliness drives on September 17.
From September 17 to October 2, government schools will take part in the ‘Mera School, Sabse Sundar’ competition, alongside a zero-waste campus initiative.
To strengthen sanitation infrastructure, 70 mechanical sweeping machines, additional litter-picking vehicles for each ward and 125 secondary collection centres for construction and demolition waste are being developed, the government said.
The Urban Development Department has directed the MCD, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board to prepare detailed action plans and ensure regular monitoring of the campaign.
The plan also lays down a different focus for each day of the week. Mondays will be dedicated to removing unauthorised posters and writing from public spaces, Tuesdays to cleaning community centres, back lanes and religious places, and Wednesdays to railway tracks and the Ring Road.
Thursdays will focus on bulk waste generators and on-site waste processing, Fridays on cleaning government offices and ward-level reviews, while Saturdays will see special drives in slum and JJ clusters.
Departments have also been asked to conduct cleanliness drives in government offices, dispose of old records and unused material as per rules, reduce the use of single-use plastic and encourage reusable alternatives. Officials will also participate in shramdaan activities (voluntary labour contribution) from 17 August, including two-hour cleaning of garbage-prone areas, desilting drains, removing unauthorised posters and beautifying public spaces.
The government has asked departments and local bodies to involve resident welfare associations, market associations, schools, hospitals, industrial organisations, voluntary groups and other community bodies in the campaign.
Progress reports, along with photographic records of activities, will be submitted to the Urban Development Department every Monday.
Malhotra said strengthening the civic body’s finances had helped speed up sanitation-related work, while Gupta assured that shortage of funds would not be allowed to hold back cleanliness efforts.
She, however, stressed that financial support alone would not be enough and officials and elected representatives would have to show the will and responsibility to deliver results.
“The campaign will succeed only when every citizen considers cleanliness their own responsibility,” Gupta said. PTI VBH KSI KSI
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