The Department of Higher Education along with Autonomous Bodies, Institutions/Universities, has geared up to actively participate in the 5^th consecutive year of the Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters (SCDPM) 5.0 which began on October 2. The ongoing campaign is scheduled to be concluded on October 31.

Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister to institutionalize Swachhata and reduce pending matters in government, Secretary, Higher Education, Dr. Vineet Joshi visited the Shastri Bhawan office premises and reviewed the ongoing cleanliness and hygiene initiatives. The initiative has successfully unlocked progress until its third and the last week. During the inspection, Shri Joshi reviewed the maintenance of different sections, key record management practices, and workspace organization. Secretary, HE also interacted with officials and staff members, encouraging their active participation in sustaining a clean, well-organized, and efficient work environment.

 

• Status review by Secretary Higher Education during the third week of the implementation phase under the Special Campaign 5.0 reflects following milestones:

 

• 715 cleanliness drives Campaign have been conducted.
• Around 14 Lakh Sq. Ft of office space has been freed through the disposal of scrap, e-waste, and redundant files.
• Nearly 1.5 Lakh Physical Files have been reviewed so far out of 1,80,184 making a progress rate of nearing 83%.
• Nearly Sixty thousand e-files have been reviewed so far out of 70,362 making a progress of 85.13%.
• 2.74 Crore revenue has been generated from Scrap Disposal so far surpassing the previous year campaign.

Furthermore, the success driven by dedication is witnessed by an overwhelming response being achieved on social media where the Department has been actively engaged in creating awareness on X (Formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook through the official social media handle of the Ministry of Education. In addition to this, many Institutes are also documenting Before-and-After images of activities undertaken, as well as on highlighting Best Practices, foster greater public engagement on social media, using the hashtag #SpecialCampaign5.0 and tagging D/o Higher Education.

Special Campaign 5.0 Impact on Ground

 

• Waste to Art initiative by IGNOU: The School of Performing and Visual Arts (SOPVA) of IGNOU leveraged the talent of its Research Scholars to undertake the commendable task of refurbishing and repainting of an old (end of Life) Ambassador Car. The car has been placed at the 'Y' junction in IGNOU campus.

• A Horse Statue fashioned from obsolete recycled metals extracted from old furniture, old vehicle parts etc. and the Horse statute has been placed near Block-15 of the Campus at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi.

 

• Major initiatives taken by CU Jammu:

Fashion Show on the idea of 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) under the leadership of Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, Central University of Jammu Prof. Sanjeev Jain at University campus. Students prepared and showcasing their innovations by preparing dresses, bags and other accessories from waste materials such as newspaper, polythene, jute bags.

 

• Paper recycling units and efficient waste segregation models:

         

• Waste to Resource: 𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐓 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐫 organized the "Waste to Resource" competition around its campus from 2^nd October to 8th October, 2025 to imaginative upcycling and waste reduction efforts. The competition covered the collection of diverse waste materials (plastic, paper, metal, e-waste) with participants focusing on the thematic goal of upcycling into a single, innovative physical product. This competition successfully highlighted the fusion of artistic ingenuity with practical resource management.

• Collection & Donation Drive: Waste to Wealth- MNIT, Jaipur under the Special Campaign 5.0 ("Waste to Wealth"). Collecting items like clothing, old textbooks, stationery, household items, and bags from students, faculty, and staff that are no longer needed by them and transforming these wastes into someone's wealth by donating them. These items provide direct relief and hope to those facing hardship.

 

• IIM Shillong: Taking a step forward in promoting environmental responsibility and resource efficiency. To drive this cause, a paper shredding machine has been introduced on campus, ensuring the safe and efficient disposal of paper waste. The shredded material is then repurposed into practical products. This initiative not only strengthens the circular economy but also helps optimize campus office space by clearing out redundant documents.
• Cleanliness drive conducted by Srinath University, Jamshedpur: Actively participated in the Special Campaign 5.0 by organizing a cleanliness drive at the idol immersion site, Domuhani River Bank, Sonari, Jamshedpur, on 5th October 2025. The initiative aimed to ensure a cleaner and safer environment post the immersion activities and to spread awareness about sustainable waste management practices among the public.

• Manipur University: Utilization of Space Freed, 32 extra-large garbage bags collected from various locations and sent for recycling.

 

Comparison of Before-After images taken by Institutes/Universities:

• The overgrown and weed-covered garden area of MANIT, Bhopal was thoroughly cleaned, levelled, and beautified with new plants and landscaping.

 

• As a part of Special Campaign 5.0, IIM Bodh Gaya has created Nescafe Tea Stall near Student Hostel, Bodh Gaya after cleaning old building garbage.

 

*****

SR/AK

(Release ID: 2184058) Visitor Counter : 119