The government has earned more than Rs 5,000 crore from scrap disposal during special cleanliness drives over the last five years, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the launch of the website for Special Campaign 6, which will track cleanliness activities and pendency in government offices, Singh said the campaign has expanded beyond cleanliness to include better use of government resources and public spaces.
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Over the past five years, the drives have also freed 1,000 lakh square feet of office space, covered more than 24 lakh cleanliness sites and led to the weeding out of around two crore files, Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, 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,” he said.
Singh said the campaign demonstrated how a national initiative can lead to wider public participation and changes in behaviour when it focuses on issues affecting people's daily lives.
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He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on cleanliness in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2014. The initiative later expanded to areas such as sanitation, waste management, record keeping and the use of government office space.
Singh also highlighted the campaign's focus on sanitation facilities, particularly for women and girls. Recalling an incident from his constituency of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, he said a Class 9 girl had stopped attending school until toilets were constructed at her home and school.
A later survey found around 200 households with similar concerns, he said.
According to Singh, the sustained cleanliness campaign has also increased public awareness about littering and cleanliness in public spaces. It has sought to change the perception of waste through the principle of “waste to wealth”.
He said dashboards and online feedback systems have helped ministries and departments monitor progress and improve implementation. The campaign has also helped identify neglected spaces in government establishments and put them to productive use.
Singh said the campaign period from October 2 to October 31 should not be viewed as a month-long cleanliness exercise.
“Rather, the campaign serves as an annual reiteration of the resolve and commitment to maintain cleanliness, efficiency and responsiveness throughout the year,” he said.
Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), said Special Campaign 6 aims to make efficiency, cleanliness and responsiveness part of everyday government functioning.
She said the campaign now covers government 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 also build on scientific waste management practices, with a focus on the collection, segregation and environmentally sound disposal of e-waste in line with relevant 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.
