Jamshedpur: The Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign concluded at the CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) in Jamshedpur, with officials emphasising public participation, environmental protection and the importance of making cleanliness a daily habit. Addressing the concluding ceremony on Tuesday, Tatanagar Area Railway Manager Nitish Kumar said active public participation was essential to fulfilling the vision of Swachh Bharat. He stressed that cleanliness should not remain limited to government campaigns but should become part of everyone’s everyday routine. He also highlighted the importance of collective efforts to protect the environment and build a greener India.
The campaign was conducted at CSIR-NML from 17 September to 2 October under the theme ‘Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat’ (Participation in Cleanliness, Clean India, Developed India). It aimed to raise awareness among employees, students and their families about cleanliness, waste management, resource reuse and environmental conservation. The formal closing ceremony was held on 13 October.
CSIR-NML Director Dr Sandeep Ghosh Chaudhuri emphasised the need to sustain the initiatives undertaken during the campaign. He said periodic audits should be conducted to ensure that cleanliness measures remained effective over the long term. Such assessments would help evaluate the achievements made during the campaign and identify areas requiring improvement.
Dr Gopi Kishore Mandal, chairman of the Swachhata Hi Seva committee, outlined the various activities organised as part of the initiative. These included cleanliness drives, tree plantation, voluntary community service, the collection of useful items for people in need and the creation of useful products from waste materials.
The campaign began on 17 September with a cleanliness pledge and a tree plantation drive under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative. On 21 and 22 September, the institute organised the ‘Clean Desk and Clean Campus’ campaign, during which employees cleaned their workspaces and demonstrated their commitment to maintaining cleanliness.
On 23 and 24 September, employees and their family members donated old clothes, books, toys and other household items through the ‘Wall of Kindness’ initiative, known as ‘Neki Ki Deewar’. The collected items were handed over to the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Society for distribution among people in need.
On 25 September, schoolchildren visited the laboratory and learnt about techniques for converting waste into useful products. Administrative Controller Jai Shankar Sharan briefed the students on cleanliness and solid waste management.
On 29 September, employees took part in voluntary cleaning activities at the Rolling Bay and HDPS Bay under the ‘One Day, One Hour, Together’ initiative. On the same day, the Aagrico campus hosted the ‘Swachhata Se Samriddhi, Kabara Se Jugaad’ programme, which focused on making useful items from discarded materials.
In another initiative, training on e-office management was organised on 18 September to encourage paperless working and promote administrative transparency.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by the nodal officer of the Swachhata committee. Through the range of activities, CSIR-NML highlighted the importance of public participation in cleanliness, environmental conservation and the more effective use of resources.
