Department of Pharmaceuticals prepares for Special Campaign 4.0, targets Over 11,000 sites for cleanliness initiatives

The Department of Pharmaceuticals, in collaboration with its affiliated offices, autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), has initiated preparations for Special Campaign 4.0. These efforts include setting targets for the campaign based on parameters established by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG). The identified targets have been uploaded to the Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters (SCDPM) 4.0 Portal.

As part of the campaign’s preparatory phase, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has identified 11,046 sites for cleaning activities, surpassing the 9,624 sites recorded during the previous phase. The Department’s focus remains on ensuring accessibility, availability, and affordability of medicines, while also promoting cleanliness and environmental sustainability.

PMBI, under the Department’s guidance, is at the forefront of this initiative, spearheading the campaign across 11,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs). The distribution of the cleaning effort includes 2,786 centres in the East Zone, 2,700 in the North Zone, 2,718 in the South Zone, and 2,796 in the West Zone.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), through its 20 Price Monitoring and Resource Units (PMRUs), is also playing a key role in the campaign, alongside the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER) and three PSUs—Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Limited (KAPL), Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL), and Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited (BCPL). These bodies are focusing on conducting outdoor cleaning campaigns as part of their contribution.

In parallel, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has fully digitised its file management, making it one of the few ministries to achieve 100% digitisation. The Department currently operates 9,797 e-files, with 5,126 of them being active. During the campaign period, the Department aims to review 4,671 “parked files” to reduce pendency. In addition, NPPA, NIPERs, and the PSUs have identified 4,805 physical files for disposal.

The PSUs have also committed to the disposal of identified scrap following due procedures, with an expected revenue of approximately ₹33 lakhs. The overarching goal is to achieve compliance with all identified targets across the Department’s attached offices, autonomous institutions, and PSUs by the end of the campaign.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals aims to significantly reduce pendency across all targets identified in the preparatory phase of Special Campaign 4.0, with the focus on key areas highlighted by the DARPG.