New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) More than Rs 5,000 crore has been earned through scrap disposal during special cleanliness drives undertaken by the government over the last five years, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
Addressing an event to launch the website for Special Campaign 6 to monitor cleanliness and reduce pendency in government offices, Singh said the initiative 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 campaign has also shown that systematic cleanliness and waste management can generate substantial economic value, said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.
Over the last five years, Rs 5,000 crore has 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 two crore files have been weeded out to improve record management, he said.
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, Singh said.
Recalling the beginning of the swachhata initiative, he said cleanliness was among the earliest priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the government assumed office in 2014.
Modi’s emphasis on swachhata in his first Independence Day address on August 15, 2014, brought a foundational issue affecting the everyday lives of common citizens to the centre of the governance agenda, he said.
The initiative also marked a departure from the conventional status quo approach and greater emphasis on citizen-centric governance, Singh said.
He said the response to the swachhata campaign demonstrated how a clear national call can lead to widespread public participation and behavioural change.
Recalling the emphasis on the construction of toilets, particularly for women, Singh spoke about the hardships faced by women in rural and suburban areas and the difficulties experienced by school-going girls because of inadequate sanitation facilities.
He cited an instance from his own constituency of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, where a class 9 girl had stopped attending school until a toilet was constructed at her home and school.
A subsequent survey found around 200 households facing similar concerns, bringing to light a significant issue that had remained largely unaddressed, the minister said.
Singh said one of the major outcomes of the sustained Swachhata campaign has been a change in public behaviour, with people becoming increasingly conscious about littering and cleanliness in public spaces.
At the same time, the campaign has changed the perception of waste by demonstrating its economic value through the principle of “waste to wealth”, he added.
The minister also spoke about the campaign’s contribution to improving workplace discipline and timely clearance of files.
He said dashboards and online feedback mechanisms have enabled ministries and departments to assess their progress from time to time and improve implementation.
Recalling instances of neglected and inaccessible spaces in government establishments, Singh said the campaign also provided an opportunity to identify such areas, clear them and put them to productive use.
He 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, the minister said.
Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), 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.
Verma said Special Campaign 6 would build on the experience of scientific waste management with particular emphasis on effective collection, segregation and environmentally sound disposal of e-waste in compliance with the relevant management rules.
The launch event was attended by Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, T K Anil Kumar; Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Keshav Chandra; and Secretary, Department of Posts, Subrat Das, among others. PTI AKV RHL
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