Centre Pushes E-File Shift and Scrap Disposal Under Special Campaign 6

Central government departments are facing fresh mandates to phase out physical paper files, clear mounting public references, and liquidate office scrap. Reviewing the initial rollout of Special Campaign 6 at the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh instructed officials to accelerate e-file adoption and institutionalise space optimisation across central secretariats.

The month-long campaign, launched on October 2, broadens the traditional Swachhata cleanliness framework into structural administrative reform. Key priorities include scientific e-waste disposal, timely closure of pending references from Members of Parliament and state governments, and resolving overdue parliamentary assurances. Progress across all participating ministries is being audited through a unified digital monitoring portal to maintain accountability.

A primary operational focus is reclaiming square footage lost to obsolete office equipment and neglected archives under the Centre's 'Waste to Wealth' directive. Demonstrating the initiative, DARPG recently cleared an abandoned storage site within Sardar Patel Bhawan and repurposed it into a functional employee common room. Minister Singh stressed that systematic disposal of physical junk and rapid record digitisation are now permanent tenets of civil service governance rather than periodic housekeeping routines.

For civil servants and policy observers, the campaign signals an ongoing push to modernise central administration while generating non-tax receipts from scrap auctions. By embedding circular economy principles directly into daily office management, the government aims to eliminate paper pendency and prevent physical record buildup from stalling departmental decision-making.