Tag: Swachhata

Swachhata Hi Seva 2023

 The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat today launched the pan-India Swachhata Pakhwada – Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2023 campaign virtually from Jaipur, Rajasthan today. The campaign has been launched in line with the vision of ‘Swachh Bharat’ or Clean India, as envisioned by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, whose clarion call for Swachhata has rallied the entire nation towards this noble cause. The campaign was launched jointly along with Union Minister of Panchayati Raj & Rural Development, Shri Giriraj Singh and the Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri through a virtual program.

The fortnight of activities will galvanize action around swachhata, focusing on mobilizing citizen action through ‘sharamdaan’ and strengthen commitment towards building a ‘Garbage Free India’ which is the theme of the campaign. The Union Ministers also presided over a Samvaad with Sarpanches, Block Pramukhs, Mayors, CEOs-ZP, DM/DCs and other officials of rural and urban local bodies. The Union Minister also launched a special SHS Portal for monitoring and documentation of the on ground SHS activities. For the first time, the actual man hours of ‘shramdaan’ will be calculated on the portal, while capturing the number of activities and number of people participating in the activities. The second edition of the Indian Swachhata League was also launched.

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in his address urged everyone to work towards source segregation of waste, removing legacy waste and increase awareness about Swachhata. Shri Shekhawat said this pakhwada is an opportunity in this direction and to identify and replicate best Swachhata practices from various regions across the nation. He laid emphasis on quantifying and assessing legacy waste and to set up short and long term goals which can then be addressed in a time bound and result oriented manner. He also urged everyone to pledge to revive various water bodies that may have been choked due to legacy waste and to ensure that these water bodies are rejuvenated both in urban and rural areas. He further said that during the Pakhwada, targeted & result oriented activities should be undertaken and work allocation should be done properly to get the best results.

Shri Shekhawat further stated that the problems of waste management in urban and rural areas can be tackled simultaneously as cities have excess capacity but lack space while rural areas lack capacity but have ample space. Union Minister asked the secretary of the department of Drinking Water and Sanitation to work out a long-term plan in collaboration with the Secretary, MoHUA for ensuring maximum convergence and setting up a robust mechanism to accomplish this objective. He added that he looked forward to active participation and cooperation from all to make this campaign a grand success.

SBM-Grameen and SBM-Urban have both partnered with key Ministries and Departments to amplify participation and community mobilization in SHS 2023 themed Garbage Free India, with a focus on visible cleanliness and the welfare of SafaiMitras, the spirit being that of voluntarism i.e. shramdaan and actual cleaning drive/activities as in the previous years.  It is a massive community mobilization drive for cleaning up of legacy waste and activities for solid waste management. As part of this annual campaign, States will organise activities with the objectives of (i) ensuring community mobilization and participation, a “jan andolan” towards Open Defecation Free (ODF)Plus villages (ii) reinforcing the concept of “Sanitation as everyone’s business” and (iii) commemorating Swachh Bharat Diwas (2nd October) at the village level. This paves way for local bodies to conduct Swachhata drives at public places of high footfall such as bus stands, railway stations, beaches, tourist spots, zoos, national parks, Govt offices in both rural and urban areas of the States/UTs. The activities will include removal of garbage from locations, clearing of legacy waste, repairing, painting, cleaning, and branding of all sanitation assets such as litter bins, public toilets, garbage points, waste transportation vehicles etc.

The second edition of India Swachhata League is all set to take the nation by a storm. Led by the youth, the season 2 of ISL promises to be even more exciting and fun-filled cleanliness league. The ISL aims to mobilize youth groups at scale to take sustained ownership for swachhata across beaches, hills and tourist spots. The swachhata league will act as a catalyst for triggering action by the youth of the city towards the vision of garbage free cities under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

As part of the Swachhata Pakhwada fortnight of celebrations, SafaiMitra Suraksha Shivir will be organized by various cities across the nation 17th September, 2023 onwards. These Shivirs (camps) are aimed at saturating welfare schemes for sanitation workers and their dependents and to improve their well-being and quality of life. The objective of the shivir is to target all sanitation workers in Solid Waste Management (SWM) & Used Water Management (UWM). The key activities will focus on mass awareness, preventive health checkups, yoga shivirs and extending entitlement of various welfare benefits of central & State Schemes in convergence with various ministries.

In her welcome address, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ms. Vini Mahajan spoke about the objectives of SHS 2023 and urged the State & UT machinery of Swachh Bharat Mission, both Rural & Urban to make joint and concerted effort to make the fortnight a roaring success. She added, “SBMG having achieved nearly 75% ODF Plus villages, through the fortnight is aiming to achieve 90% ODF Plus villages. The SBM Mission Directors have been urged to focus on community mobilization and voluntary efforts for cleaning drives in villages, blocks and districts.

The fortnight of celebrations will culminate on 2nd October with Swachhata Diwas. As a part of the massive cleanliness drives, all Government of India Ministries, PSUs and State govt and local bodies will come together to conduct cleanliness at various locations. The planned inter-sectoral activities include cleaning high footfall tourist spots/ pilgrim sites under Tourism Ministry, Har Pathri Saaf Suthari activities by Railways, Dept of higher Education & School Education can involve universities, School students engaging them in SHS activities, Two bins & public toilet cleanliness under the Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry, Prioritizing cleanliness of zoos/parks under MoEFCC and Cleanliness drives across highways & adjacent areas under MoRTH.

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Swachhata Special Campaign 3.0 Portal

 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today launched the dedicated web-portal for Swachhata Special Campaign 3.0, https://scdpm.nic.in, at a function in New Delhi for monitoring of the Swachhata campaign.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said the Special Campaign is being launched at a time when the nation is in upbeat mood following the unprecedented success of G20 Summit under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and India’s Space feats of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 solar mission.

Dr Jitendra Singh said the Swachhata campaign, the first mass awareness campaign launched by PM Modi on August 15, 2014 soon after taking over charge in May, 2014, has achieved four primary objectives, –

  • Change of Work Culture and that has been amply demonstrated by flawless execution of successful hosting of the G20 Summit.
  • Over 90% file work has been made online under eOffice portal; visualised by the Prime Minister and his Digital India Mission helped tide over the Covid crisis.
  • Use of Open Spaces for productive use as some of the Departments like Posts have converted junkyard to courtyard.
  • Archive Culture; the process of archiving files also gained momentum. 

The Union Minister said PM Modi transformed the Swachhata campaign into a mass movement within a few months.

“Same administration, same officials, only the leadership was lacking. Prime Minister turned the mission on hygiene cleanliness into a Jan-Andolan and it was imbibed by the people as a Social Reform Movement. This demonstrated the intent of the government that it will address the fundamental issues facing the common man in a mission mode,” he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh appealed to all citizens to join hands together, particularly the media in creating awareness. DARPG has launched a compendium of 300 Best Practices which will be implemented by all Government Ministries and Departments and published widely through media, highlighting ‘Whole of Government’ and ‘Whole of Science’ approach,” he said.

“Coming close on the heels of successful Chandrayaan-3 landing, the successful launch of Aditya L1 is also a testimony to the ‘whole of science and the whole of nation’ approach which we have sought to adopt in our world culture,” said Dr Jitendra Singh.

The Special Campaign 3.0 will be preceded by the Preparatory phase from 15th September to 30th September 2023. During this period, Ministries/Departments will identify the pendency in selected categories and finalize the campaign sites.

The Government of India has announced Special campaign 3.0 from 2nd October, 2023 to 31st October, 2023 with focus on Swachhata and Reducing Pendency in Government Offices with a saturation approach. The Cabinet Secretary has addressed all Secretaries of Government of India on 25th August, 2023 and DARPG guidelines for the same were issued on 1st September, 2023.

Special Campaign 3.0 will focus on field/outstation offices responsible for service delivery or having public interface, in addition to the Ministries/Departments and their attached/subordinate offices. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) is the Nodal Department for implementation of Special Campaign 3.0.

Secretary, DARPG and Dept. of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare, Shri V. Srinivas; Secretary, Posts, Shri Vineet Pandey; Secretary, Railway Board, Shri Milind K Deuoskar and Shri Arun Singhal, DG, National Archives of India also addressed the function. The launch ceremony was attended by Nodal Officers of Public Grievances and Appellate Authorities in all the 84 Ministries/Departments of Government of India. 

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Swachhata, Good Governance and Jan Bhagidaari to Deliver Happiness to each one, everywhere

 Department of Posts conducted Special Campaign 2.0 for cleanliness and good governance that was conducted from October 2 to 31, 2022 and was continued for each of the months subsequently from November 2022 to August 2023

Currently the Department is working towards a crescendo of its efforts on Swachhata over the last 10 years during the Special Campaign 3.0 in October 2023. As part of the National Postal Week during the campaign, a number of “Jan Bhagidaari” initiatives are also planned.

The Department has an enduring commitment to improve the service environment for customers and working environment for its employees. It has adopted several green  practices and put its limited resources to innovative use in the quest to improve the service experience associated with India Post. With its strong and wide citizen interface, a “Jan Bhagidaari” approach is inherent in all its special programmes. 

Achievements of Special Campaign 2.0

The Special Campaign 2.0 was implemented both at the Postal Headquarters in DakBhawan and all 24,000 field sub post offices spread across the length and breadth of the country, covering the remotest corner from 2 to 31 October, 2022. Some of the achievements during the Special Campaign, continued during the subsequent period till August 2023 are as follows:

  • 840 e-files closed.
  • Around 6 lakh files have been weeded out.
  • 24000 sites cleaned in Oct 2022 and 6713 sites in follow up swachhta activities from November 2022-August 2023.
  • Around 2.9 cr of revenue earned through disposal of scrap.
  • More than 2,90,000 public grievances have been disposed off.
  • Approximately 1,13,289 sq. ft. of space has been freed up.

 

Best Practices implemented in this period:

  • Discontinuation of Sealing Wax –  Sealing wax, previously employed to secure mail bags, has been phased out and substituted with eco-friendly, recyclable seals. This transition has been successfully implemented in all mail offices, marking an environmentally-conscious initiative that has not only preserved our ecosystem but also safeguarded the well-being of our staff.
  • Dissemination of Swachhta Message through Wall Art – During this period, total of 888 walls have been painted to convey the Swachhta message in resonance with local culture.
  • Installation of Solar Power Plant in DakBhawan– The installation of solar panels on the rooftop of DakBhavan has resulted in a significant reduction of the electricity bill, with savings of around 4 lakhs each month.
  • Parcel Café in Kolkata -A fully operational café within the Kolkata GPO has been creatively furnished using discarded items, including old sorting tables. This unique café also incorporates a parcel packaging unit for customers. 

 

Next steps:

The Special Campaign 3.0, coinciding with ten years of implementation of Swachhata initiatives  in the Department, is expected  to be special as the Department will consolidate its past efforts and also draw a road map for the future by highlighting initiatives that could be implemented over the next few years with support from all stakeholders in the national postal network. Consultations with stakeholders and collaborative action specific to the contesxt of each socio-geographic community around the post offices will be organised as part of India Post’s focused  “Jan Chetana” and “Jan Bhagidaari” activities.

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Youth- Indian Ambassadors for Swachhata

 “India is the youngest country in the world. A nation whose 65% population is less than 35 years old, a nation whose youth is incredibly tough, whose fingers have the deftness to be connected with the world via computers, a nation whose youth is determined to create its own future, that nation now does not need to look back,” said PM Shri Narendra Modi.

 

Gen Z has been showing a remarkable and innovative stance in addressing waste management in the modern era. Their proactive initiatives and creative solutions reflect a dedication to environmental preservation. Swiftly progressing on the path of “swachhata”, Gen Z’s agile mindset and tech-savvy nature empower them to drive positive change and shape a more sustainable future. Whereas Gen Alpha exhibits a remarkable consciousness for swachhata and eagerly fuses innovation with technology. They seek toys crafted from recycled materials, ingeniously reimagined to align with their eco-conscious perspective.

 

 

In line with this vision, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has taken initiatives like the Indian Swachhata League, Swachhata ke Do Rang, aimed at engaging India’s youthful populace in the Jan Andolan for cleanliness. In addition to this, MoHUA launched the ‘Swachh Toycathon’ in 2022, which revolved around the ‘Rethinking of Indian toy industry’. The national competition for individuals from all ages as well as groups and start-ups, aimed to bring forth innovation and circularity in design and packaging of games and toys. The competition witnessed entries for eco-friendly toy prototypes, waste-material toys, and inventive concepts reimagining the industry. Organizations like ToyBank are re-purposing old and discarded toys to ensure the ‘Right to Play’ of children of marginalized communities. Household waste items are being turned into toys that teach children about basic principles of science & sustainability. To encourage these crusaders of swachhata, in July 2023, numerous ULBs in Karnataka engaged schools via eco-clubs and started diverse initiatives on plastic waste management as part of the State’s “Plastic Free Campaign.” One notable effort was the introduction of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) concept, coupled with training sessions to underscore the significance of proper waste segregation and the SUP Plastic Muktha Abhiyana at Hebbagodi CMC.

 

Uttarakhand-based NGO ‘Waste Warriors’ launched ‘Green Gurukul’ program to involve youth in city sanitation. Operating in 100+ schools, the initiative impacted 39,000+ students, engaging them in sustainable waste management. Integrated into education, it drives behavioral change among students and educators, ensuring compliance with 2016 SWM Rules, emphasizing source segregation and proper disposal. Interactive sessions, movies, games, quizzes, and creative workshops teach waste management to grades 6-12 in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
 

 

Since its launch in 2014, Youth For Parivarthan started “Clean Bengaluru,” program revitalizing over 400 black-spots, garnering recognition from PM Shri Narendra Modi in the 93rd episode of Mann Ki Baat. Their “Recyclothon” campaign collects used notebooks during summers, recycling unused sheets into new books for rural Karnataka’s government school students. Youth For Parivarthan’s multifaceted endeavors have brought positive changes to Bengaluru’s environment and education system, embodying a commitment to sustainable change.

Since 2014, Satya Foundation, a youth group in Byataranapura, Yelahanka Zone, have introduced a course named, “Trashonomics,” teaching waste management as a resource in schools via young ambassadors bridging generations. Kids learn composting, upcycling, and the 3Rs (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) to convert waste into resources.
Since 2019, the Himachal-based ‘Dhauladhar Cleaners’ have been collecting trash from Dharamshala’s tourist spots every Sunday. Their goal is to educate and inspire youth towards a healthier, sustainable future. Through ‘cleanup picnics’, volunteers converge at scenic sites, combining cleanup drives with enjoyable outings. Their impact includes 40,000+ KG of waste collected from Himachal’s tourist destinations. items.

 

 

Since 2020, a young man from Gujarat, Dr. Binish Desai has initiated recycling of COVID-related bio-medical waste, by transforming them into advanced P-block bricks. His latest innovation, P-block 2.0, is lighter, stronger, and more versatile. During his tenure as Gujarat’s CM, PM Narendra Modi invited Binish to an event, commending his initiative’s efforts. His initiative, Eco Eclectic Tech, has repurposed 45 tons of PPE waste, diverting over 6700 metric tons from landfills and producing 150+ products from various wastes. It’s also facilitated the construction of 10,000+ toilets and 500+ structures. The eco-conscious Gen Z of India is shaping a future where responsible waste management is central to the society.

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