PM Narendra Modi has directed that ‘swachhata’ be made a permanent feature in government functioning and special campaigns conducted annually for the next five years, says V Srinivas, secretary, Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare. He tells Rajesh Kumar Thakur that the government has generated a revenue of Rs 2,364 crore through special campaigns from 2021 to 2024. Excerpts:
How effectively has the cleanliness campaign, especially the ongoing Special Campaign 4.0, impacted the working in government offices?
The Special Campaign 4.0 represents the vision of PM Modi for institutionalising ‘swachhata’ and weeding out old files and papers in government offices in order to maintain optimal use of space. The PM has taken special interest in the implementation of special campaigns through his meetings with his ministers. The PM has directed that ‘swachhata’ be made a permanent feature of the culture of government and the special campaigns be conducted annually for the next five years. The government has asked each department to undertake the campaign for three hours a week.
What are the objectives of the Special Campaign 4.0?
The Special Campaign 4.0 is mainly aimed at institutionalising ‘swachhata’ in government offices. Though special campaigns in 2021, 2022 and 2023, we have been able to make significant progress in digitisation, efficient management of office spaces, and premises, environment-friendly practices, inclusivity, sanitation protocols and mechanisms for waste disposal.
What are the outcomes of the cleanliness campaigns?
The Special Campaign 4 implemented from October 2, 2024 was India’s largest government -to-government campaign for institutionalising ‘swachhata’ and reducing pendency. A significant progress has been made in all key benchmarks.
How much has the Centre earned from the removal of scrap and junked materials since the launch of this campaign?
The government has earned Rs 2,364 crore from scrap disposal since the launch of the campaign in 2021. In the Special Campaign 4.0, revenues from scrap disposal have been reported at Rs 650 crore and the railways ministry has earned Rs 452 crore, the power Rs 50 crore, the defence ministry Rs 71 crore and the coal Rs 38 crore.
At the same time, around 25.19 lakh files were weeded out by creating 190 lakh sqft spaces. The government has redressed 5.5 lakh of public grievances during the special campaigns.
Do you believe the campaign has institutionalised the concept of ‘swachhtha’?
The Special Campaign 4.0 has successfully translated the vision of PM Modi into action, pendency has been brought down to a minimum level, ‘swachhata’ has been institutionalised with departments implementing it with a “Citizen First — Nation First” approach. The ministries and related departments have come out with several innovations to enhance office ambience.
How many rules have been eased till date and how many public grievances redressed?
So far, as many as 1,150 rules have been eased — from simplification of pension forms to digital empowerment of pensioners. The pendency in public grievances on the dedicated portal is at its lowest levels. The timeline for grievance redressal stands at 16 days in September this year.
Is there any plan to extend this campaign to state government departments?
The MHA has extended the activities to some Union territories. The Ministry of Development of North Eastern States has invited states to participate in the campaign. The Maharashtra government has institutionalised the campaign as ‘Mantralaya Reforms’.
How is your department working towards administrative reforms?
Out department is mandated to implement the ‘Maximum Governance — Minimum Government’ policy, with a special emphasis on digital empowerment of citizens.