The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), along with its autonomous body Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and public sector undertakings National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) and Central Electronics Limited (CEL), successfully completed Special Campaign 5.0 between 2 October and 31 October 2025. The campaign was conducted under the active guidance of Dr (Mrs) N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR and Director General, CSIR, beginning with the Swachhata Pledge across all DSIR organisations.

The campaign, reviewed periodically by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, witnessed 146 cleanliness drives at DSIR offices, CSIR laboratories, CEL and NRDC facilities nationwide. Extensive plantation drives were also carried out to promote the vision of a clean and green India.

To encourage awareness of cleanliness among schoolchildren, DSIR organised a Swachhata Awareness Programme at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Begumpur, New Delhi, featuring speech and drawing competitions. The top three performers in each category received awards, and hygiene kits were distributed to participants. Senior DSIR officials delivered motivational talks, while students showcased their enthusiasm through stage performances.

Under the close monitoring of the Joint Secretary, DSIR, who served as the Nodal Officer for the campaign, the department achieved 100 per cent of its targets in scrap disposal, public grievance redressal, appeals clearance, and records management.

During the campaign period, DSIR reviewed 9,400 physical files, weeded out 6,180, and conducted 146 cleanliness campaigns, freeing 30,580 sq. ft. of office space. Additionally, Rs 1.51 million in revenue was generated through the disposal of scrap materials.

Best Practices Introduced

Special Campaign 5.0 also featured several innovative initiatives developed by CSIR laboratories under DSIR:

Steel Slag Road: Developed by CSIR–CRRI, New Delhi, this green infrastructure technology uses steel scrap for sustainable road construction, transforming waste into wealth.

Biomedical Waste Conversion: A process created by CSIR–NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, converts pathogenic biomedical waste into value-added soil additives.

Anaerobic Gas Lift Reactor: A high-rate bio-methanation system patented and commercialised by CSIR–IICT, Hyderabad, has been installed at a vegetable market in Hyderabad for renewable gas generation.

Cyber Hygiene Initiative: DSIR’s cybersecurity team inspected 70 desktop computers, removing temporary and cache files to free 43.5 GB of storage and enhance digital system performance.

Commitment Ahead

DSIR reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining zero pendency, expanding digitisation, and improving service delivery across its departments. The impact of Special Campaign 5.0 will continue through sustained cleanliness, digitisation, and operational efficiency in the months ahead.