Pariksha SaathiIndian Railways prepares for Special Campaign 6.0 on Swachhata and pendency
Indian Railways has begun preparing for Special Campaign 6.0 (SCDPM 6), the Government of India's drive to make Swachhata (cleanliness) a routine part of office work and to cut down pending matters. Targets are fixed during a Preparatory Phase (15 to 30 September 2026), and the main Implementation Phase then runs through October, from the 2nd to the 31st. This year's emphasis is on collecting, segregating and disposing of e-waste under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022; disposing of scrap under the General Financial Rules; managing and sprucing up office space; simplifying processes; and clearing pending references. More than 150 nodal officers will send daily progress reports to the Railway Board, which feeds them into the central monitoring portal of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). Railways said it met all its identified targets in Campaign 5.0, freeing 6.06 lakh sq ft of space and earning ₹570 crore, and will hold "Rail Jan Samvaad" this time to engage the public.
Drafted with AI assistance from a live web search; a second AI pass confirmed the official link above and checked a sample of the facts against it. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 were notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 2 November 2022 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. They replaced the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and came into force on 1 April 2023. The rules are built around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): producers must meet e-waste recycling targets through registered recyclers, and manufacturers, producers, refurbishers and recyclers must register on an online portal developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Reference: E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 gazette notification (hosted by CPCB)
Check yourself: are the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 an Act passed by Parliament?
No. They are rules (delegated legislation) made by the Central Government using powers under sections 6, 8 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which is the parent Act.
Revision task: sort the Railways' campaign targets in this item by the rulebook that governs them: e-waste (E-Waste Rules, 2022) versus scrap disposal (General Financial Rules).
Test yourself
Indian Railways' 'Special Campaign 6.0', running through September-October 2026, focuses on which two themes?
Show the answer
Answer: Swachhata (cleanliness) and pendency reduction
Special Campaign 6.0 institutionalises Swachhata in offices and clears pending administrative matters, running a Preparatory Phase (15-30 Sept) followed by an Implementation Phase (2-31 Oct 2026).
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