Last Updated:
This year, the campaign will cover 7.22 lakh office spaces, making it the largest-ever in the country’s history for ‘Swachhata’ (cleanliness)
The scrap sales include physical files, obsolete office equipment and vehicles, and other items that are no longer needed for work. (AI-generated Image)
Rs 3,296 crore. This is not the budget of a new government scheme. This is the amount of money that the government has earned—believe it or not—by selling scrap and waste material.
This big kitty of savings could further swell with the 2025 Special Campaign 5.0 staring from October 2 that will go on till October 31. In the four earlier campaigns since 2021, the government cumulatively earned Rs 3,296 crore by selling waste and scrap material that used to clog corridors of government offices. This year, the campaign will cover 7.22 lakh office spaces, making it the largest-ever in the country’s history for ‘Swachhata’ (cleanliness).
Recommended Stories
Three top ministers—Mansukh Mandaviya, Ram Mohan Naidu and Jitendra Singh—have been deputed to review the progress of the campaign and give it direction. This will be a regular ministerial review. Over 800 senior officers from 84 ministries and departments have also been put on the job. This time, rounds will also be taken of offices by cabinet ministers to monitor the drive.
Singh has said that not only has Rs 3,296 crore been earned from earlier such campaigns, but nearly 696 lakh square feet of office space has also been freed up from the waste. Nearly 137 lakh physical files were also weeded out in the last four years.
A weekly consolidated report will be prepared this time by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) regarding the campaign’s progress and it will be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Secretariat. The government will also do a third-party assessment of the programme next month to assess the qualitative impact of it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly spoken about the special campaign in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ addresses and encouraged ministries to take part in it. The government earned Rs 1,162 crore from the campaign in the first three years, Rs 551 crore from December 2023 till July 2024, another Rs 650 crore from the campaign in the fourth edition, and Rs 932 crore from the campaign between December 2024 and July 2025. The scrap sales include physical files, obsolete office equipment and vehicles, and other items that are no longer needed for work.
The campaign also involves clearing references received from MPs, parliamentary assurances, public grievances and easing of rules.
About the Author
Aman Sharma, Executive Editor – National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office….Read More
Aman Sharma, Executive Editor – National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office…. Read More
October 04, 2025, 10:41 IST
Loading comments…
Read More
