SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Institutions: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
The nationwide Special Campaign 5.0, focused on cleanliness and pendency reduction, concluded yesterday, achieving significant milestones across Central Ministries and Departments. Total achievements across all participating entities include freeing up $148.19$ lakh square feet of office space and generating ₹$387.4$ crore from the disposal of scrap and e-waste. These results contribute to the total earnings since 2021 of over ₹$3,684$ crore from scrap disposal.
The campaign demonstrated high efficiency in administrative cleanup:
Pendency Clearance: Over $5.51$ lakh public grievances were resolved out of $7.04$ lakh targeted, and over $12,400$ appeals were resolved. Ministries like the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, and the Department of Legal Affairs reported $100\%$ clearance of key pending references (MP, PMO, State Government, and inter-ministerial communications).
Record Management: Nearly $19.21$ lakh physical files were weeded out across all Ministries, including specialized efforts by the Department of Legal Affairs, which weeded over $60,000$ files. The Ministry of Law and Justice also successfully identified and finalized $289$ pre- and post-Independence records for transfer to the National Archives of India.
The initiative was marked by institutional innovation and mass outreach:
Financial & Digital Cleanup: The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) completed the scrapping of vehicles, depositing ₹$46,114$ into the government account. Ministries leveraged their e-Office systems, with over $5,300$ e-files reviewed in the Ministry of Personnel.
Waste-to-Wealth: Ministries showcased numerous best practices, including the use of AIIMS recycling biomedical waste, converting used cooking oil to fuel, and the installation of bio-toilets by the Ministry of Coal’s subsidiaries. The Ministry of Railways conducted over $78,451$ cleanliness campaigns and created $363$ “Waste to Art” selfie points using recycled materials.
The success of Special Campaign 5.0 demonstrates the continued effectiveness of using targeted, time-bound campaigns to drive significant administrative reforms. The scale of space freed and revenue generated underscores the potential for institutionalized cleanliness drives to become a routine source of non-tax revenue while permanently enhancing bureaucratic transparency and efficiency.
What is the “Weeding Out” of Files in government administration?→ Weeding out refers to the authorized process of physically destroying or digitally closing old, non-essential official records and files whose prescribed retention period has expired. This administrative exercise is crucial for freeing up valuable office space, streamlining record management, and improving the efficiency of the filing system.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Following five successful campaigns, what policy decision will the government take to permanently institutionalize the “Weeding Out” and “Waste-to-Wealth” innovations as a core part of annual administrative protocol, rather than relying on special drives?
Follow the full news here: Campaign period: 2–31 October 2025