New Delhi: The Centre’s special cleanliness campaign launched on Wednesday is about turning waste into wealth, and making cleanliness a permanent feature of public life, Union minister Jitendra Singh said.
Addressing an event here, he commended the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for achieving remarkable success of the previous three campaigns, which have led to revenue generation of Rs 1162.49 crore through the disposal of e-waste and scrap, freeing up of 355.6 lakh sq ft of office space and closure or weeding out of 96.1 lakh files, among others.
Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, also lauded the Ministry of Earth Sciences for its efforts in cleaning 96 beaches across the country — an initiative that reflects the government’s commitment to keeping not only office spaces but also public spaces clean.
“Special campaign 4.0 is about turning waste into wealth, and making cleanliness a permanent feature of public life,” the minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Singh launched ‘Special Campaign 4.0’ under the government’s ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa’ programme, reiterating the government’s deep commitment to cleanliness, public hygiene, and service.
“It is a unique success story of a government initiative in the history of independent India…Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachhata’ call from Red Fort turned into a mass campaign, which motivated a spontaneous voluntary effort to maintain cleanliness and brought about a behavioural revolution among people across the country,” he said.
Leading two events — one at Nehru Park organised by the DARPG and the other at Prithvi Bhawan hosted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Singh emphasised the government’s efforts to institutionalise cleanliness and reduce administrative pendency.
He emphasised that the prime minister’s vision has transformed Swachhata from a government-led initiative into a behavioural revolution.
“The Swachhata campaign has become ingrained in the psyche of the people…Today, cleanliness is not just a government directive, but a core value embraced by citizens,” Singh said.
He said that the ongoing Special Campaign 4.0 aims to institutionalise these behavioural changes across government offices, with a focus on reducing administrative pendency and optimising public service.
The Centre has decided that special campaigns for institutionalising Swachhata and reducing pendency of public grievances will be held every year from October 2-31.
At both Nehru Park and Prithvi Bhawan, the minister planted saplings as part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, symbolising the government’s focus on environmental sustainability.
Singh also honoured ‘Safai Mitras’ by distributing safety kits and sweets, acknowledging their crucial role in the campaign’s success.
V Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG, and M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, along with senior officials from both the ministries, actively participated in the events.
