Every Urban Local Body, Gram Panchayat, every ward, every institution, every community, must be connected with this campaign,” said Shri Tokhan Sahu, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs.
NEW DELHI, Sept. 16, 2026 — Union Ministers Shri C. R. Patil and Shri Tokhan Sahu outlined Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 at the National Media Centre today, one day before the campaign starts across India, to bring citizens, local bodies, institutions and governments into coordinated cleanliness action.
Swachhata Hi Seva has taken place every year since 2017. The 2026 campaign carries the theme “Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat,” stressing that a clean and developed India depends on active participation by citizens.
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Urban Development under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will coordinate the campaign with Central Ministries and Departments, States, Union Territories, rural and urban local bodies, institutions and other stakeholders.
The campaign matters because it links cleanliness drives with behaviour change, public health, worker safety, youth participation and local governance. It also creates a common calendar for villages, cities, schools, government offices and community groups.
Officials identified five campaign pillars. These include time-bound transformation of difficult and dirty spots; exposure visits for students to solid waste management facilities; health check-ups, PPE and welfare links for Safai Mitras and sanitation workers; public awareness on Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 and four-way source segregation; and circularity through waste-to-wealth, donation, RRR activities and plastic recycling melas.
The campaign will include Sports for Swachhata, Swachh Parv, Harit Parv, plantation drives under “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,” World Tourism Day activities on Sept. 27, and Special Gram Sabhas and Council Meetings on Oct. 2. The DDWS rural Swachh Seva Aankalan, started on Sept. 15, will also be discussed in Special Gram Sabhas.
A nationwide voluntary service activity, “Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath,” will take place on Oct. 1 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. On Oct. 2, citizens may also take the Swachhata Pledge through the MyGov platform.
Shri C. R. Patil said Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had inspired citizens across India to treat cleanliness as a shared duty. He referred to Navsari’s “Swachhata Se Swagat” micro-cleaning drive and Surat’s post-Ganpati Visarjan cleaning work as examples of local participation.
Shri Tokhan Sahu said government offices and institutions must lead by example through visible cleanliness in their premises and subordinate units. He said the campaign should reflect a “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approach.
The campaign theme, logo, brochure, portal and anthem were introduced at the event. Citizens and participating organisations were asked to post activities with #SHS2026 and #SwachhataHiSeva2026.
