Centre Earned Rs 254 Cr from Disposing Scrap, Clears Over 37 Lakh Square Feet of Space in Big Clean-up

In a significant move, the Central government cleared 37 lakh square feet of space by selling scrap lying in its premises across the country at a whopping Rs 254 crore.

A Special Swachhata campaign 2.0 was launched on October 2 with a focus on cleanliness including disposal of scrap and reducing pendency in government. Various union ministries and departments of the central government took part in the campaign which will conclude on October 31.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said 40 lakh files were reviewed, over 3 lakh public grievances redressed, 5,416 references from MPs responded to and 588 rules eased since the campaign launch.

Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said tremendous enthusiasm is being witnessed in ministries/department for institutionalising Swachhata and minimising pendency. Revenue of Rs 254.21 crore has been earned so far from the disposal of scrap, he informed.

Stressing that the impact of the cleanliness campaign is visible, the minister said the campaign has inculcated a behavioural change and led to innovation in governance.

“Rules and processes have already been identified for simplification. The campaign has brought out many positive changes so far,” he said.

Cabinet ministers, Ministers of State and secretaries to Government of India participated in the special campaign 2.0, providing leadership and guidance in its implementation. V Srinivas, secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) said there has been tremendous participation in the campaign from the government officials.

Information and Broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra, who was also present during the press meet, also shared initiatives being undertaken in his department as part of the campaign. He said an electronic billing system (e-billing) will be implemented by the year-end to process grant of government advertisements to newspapers and their billing.

A similar campaign was launched last year when over 3.18 lakh square feet of space was freed in government offices by weeding out about 7.3 lakh files.

(With PTI inputs)

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