Dr Jitendra launches month-long cleanliness campaign; focus on Govt premises

STATE TIMES NEWS

New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday launched a special campaign here focussing on cleanliness, including disposal of scrap and reducing pendency in government departments.
Singh began the campaign by disposing of e-waste of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), followed by an inspection of the office and shredding of the first file in the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) division and presentation of bamboo waste paper basket to two under secretaries in DARPG.
Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said the special campaign launched on Gandhi Jayanti from October 2 to 31, is aimed at ensuring timely and effective disposal of public grievances, references from Members of Parliament, state governments, inter-ministerial consultations and Parliamentary assurances and disposal of scrap.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s very first speech from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15, 2014, wherein he announced to launch Swachh Bharat Mission from October 2, 2014, he said, the mission became a ‘jan andolan’ and has been dubbed as the biggest social reform movement after independence.
Singh said, it also demonstrated the intent of the government that it will address the fundamental issues facing the common man in a mission mode.
The minister said, until now more than 67,000 sites have been identified by ministries/departments of government of India for conducting the cleanliness campaigns, a statement issued by the personnel ministry said.
Around 21 lakh physical files and 3 lakh e-files are due for review during the said campaign, it said.
For the first time, this year the campaign will also focus on e-files and the review of the same, the statement said.
Singh said, the special campaign 2.0 is expected to cover over 1.5 lakh post offices, overseas mission/posts, railway stations, and other public offices in mission mode during the month-long campaign.
Training of nodal officers with respect to the portal of the special campaign has already been conducted by the DARPG, the statement said.
Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Radha Chauhan and Secretary DARPG, V Srinivas among others joined the inaugural event.
Addressing the special swachhata event, Singh said, according to the directions of the prime minister, the scope and mandate of the special campaign 2.0 has been expanded and it will focus more on field/outstation offices in addition to the ministries/ departments and their attached/subordinate offices and autonomous bodies of the Union government.
The DARPG will oversee implementation of the special campaign 2.0.
The minister also released the special campaign 2.0 guidelines booklet and August progress report on the occasion, besides releasing the circulars for easing of rules of Department of Pensions.
Singh recalled that during the first phase of special campaign launched in October, 2021, about 12 lakh sq ft of space was freed up in offices for productive use and Rs 62 crore earned from disposal of scrap.