Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched a new web portal on Tuesday to kick off Special Campaign 5.0, India’s big push for cleanliness and efficiency in government offices. This initiative builds on the Swachhata drive, focusing on cutting down pending work and promoting better governance across ministries and departments.
Over the past five years, the campaign has made impressive strides. It generated Rs 3,296.71 crore in revenue by clearing office waste, freeing up a whopping 696.27 lakh square feet of space. Officials identified 12.04 lakh cleanliness sites and weeded out 137.86 lakh files, boosting both financial savings and administrative speed.
Singh praised the effort as a key part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. “This isn’t just about cleaning up—it’s about making government work smarter and more productive,” he said. The campaign highlights how addressing basic issues like waste and pendency can transform everyday operations.
This year, Special Campaign 5.0 rolls out in two phases: preparation from September 16 to 30, 2025, and full implementation from October 2 to 31, 2025. A third-party review follows from November 15 to 30 to check the real impact and long-term benefits. Secretaries and nodal officers will track progress weekly, with reports going to the Cabinet Secretariat and PMO via the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
DARPG Secretary V. Srinivas pointed out the massive scale: “We’ve freed huge office spaces and tackled thousands of sites, turning Swachhata into a core part of how we govern.” The new portal will monitor key areas like e-waste disposal—think old computers, laptops, printers, and LED boards—plus clearing backlogs on MPs’ references, parliamentary promises, and public grievances. It also covers better record management, office cleanups, and smart space use for sustainable government efficiency.
Several departments shared their success stories from past campaigns. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of School Education & Literacy, noted how the Vidyanjali Portal helped donate 100 monitors, 100 CPUs, 88 keyboards, and 117 mice to schools via the Cabinet Secretariat. At Navodaya Vidyalaya Sangathan headquarters, they cleared 1.44 lakh square feet of space through scrap disposal and file weeding. Now, the drive expands to 14.71 lakh schools nationwide.
Department of Posts Secretary Vandita Kaul reported covering 1 lakh sites in Campaign 4.0, with public grievance resolutions climbing close to 80,000. “We’re seeing steady growth in cleaner spaces and faster resolutions,” she added.
Indian Railways stepped up big time, as shared by Railway Board Secretary Aruna Nayar. Under Campaign 4.0, they installed 3,33,191 bio-toilets in coaches, 19 waste-to-energy plants, 234 waste-to-compost units, 142 sewage treatment plants, 86 effluent treatment plants, and 203 material recovery facilities. They partnered with local bodies for waste management, banned single-use plastics, added plastic bottle crushers at 531 stations, and set up two-bin segregation dustbins at 725 spots.
From the Ministry of Coal, Additional Secretary Sanoj Kumar Jha highlighted e-waste handling under 2022 rules, plus innovations like Samadhan Kendras and info kiosks. They turned plastic waste into paver tiles, went single-use plastic-free in field offices—no more plastic bottles, glasses, or folders—and repurposed freed spaces for better service. “These changes are making a real difference for citizens,” Jha said.
Wrapping up, Singh stressed that Special Campaign 5.0 goes beyond tidying up. It aims for bigger socio-economic wins through smart record keeping, space optimization, and lasting reforms to reshape governance for the better.
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